19 Apr Are Dental Implants Painful?
The truth is there are many variables that might contribute to whether or not a patient experiences pain when undergoing dental implant surgery.
Some examples of these variables are:
- Subjective pain threshold of the patient
- Medical health status of the patient
- Whether or not the planned surgery can be done in a minimally invasive way to minimize surgical trauma ( for eg: computer guided keyhole surgery)
- Whether or not there are anatomical risks near to the dental implant site, for example: major nerves, blood vessels or the maxillary sinuses.
- Whether or not extensive bone grafting and/or gum grafting is needed in conjunction with the dental implant surgery.
- Whether or not the patient is known to have a resistance to local anesthesia
- Whether or not the patient has extreme dental fear and anxiety
- Whether or not multiple implants are planned in one surgical procedure
- The skill and experience of the dental surgeon
The interplay of these 9 variables makes it hard for any dental surgeon to promise with a 100% certainty that the surgery will be absolutely painless 100% of the time for 100% of all patients.
However, from my years of experience, the only way I would guarantee a pain-free procedure 100% of the time is by offering intravenous sedation or full general anesthesia.
These sedation options are commonly chosen by my patients, and there are instances when I would not proceed with dental implant surgery unless the patient agrees to sedation.
Any post-surgical pain and discomfort can be easily managed with effective medication and adequate rest. Again, the risk of post surgery pain and discomfort is also influenced by the variables above.
Generally speaking, the easier and less traumatic the surgery, the less the pain should be. And this may sound cliché but the skill of the surgeon is probably the most important factor!
What to Expect After Getting Dental Implants
Dental implants, when done well, are designed to look and feel and function just like the natural teeth they are replacing. Dental implants will never decay, however, gum disease around the dental implant may still occur with neglect, just like in the case of natural teeth.
There is absolutely no issue with eating normally with dental implants! Having said that, I have seen cases gone wrong whereby dental implants were not placed in a good position and alignment.
This may give rise to long term problems in terms of the stability and balance of your bite. The skill and experience of the dental surgeon is probably the most important factor in achieving a good predictable result.
Why There is a Wide Range of Fees for Dental Implant Surgery in Singapore
Just like with fingerprints, everyone has unique dental issues and needs, especially when it comes to the complex field of dental implants. When you go to see a dental professional, you are consuming a service, not a product.
This means that there is often no cookie cutter approach to everyone’s dental needs. Because of this fact, it is reasonable to expect that most dental clinics can only provide you with a range of fees for implants, according to the difficulty of the case, instead of one standard fee for all.
The only way to find out for sure, is to ask your dentist. Hopefully, he will be able to explain to you why that in your particular case, it will be more expensive compared to others. It could be that there are a myriad of factors that may result in your case being more complex than others.
