How Long Should You Rest After Dental Implant Surgery?

Dental implant surgery is a permanent alternative to dentures and bridges that can be used when natural teeth roots don't allow it or when dentures don't fit properly. Learn more about how long it takes to recover from dental implant surgery.

How Long Should You Rest After Dental Implant Surgery?

For the average patient, three to four days of rest is usually enough to recover from dental implant surgery. Tenderness and some swelling are normal and should subside in the first few days. Many dentists recommend scheduling implant surgery in the middle of the week, giving you one or two days off from work and the weekend to rest. The amount of time needed for recovery depends on the type of dental implant surgery you have undergone. For most people, recovery time is only 1 to 2 days.

However, if you have had multiple implant procedures or require bone grafts, recovery time may be longer. In this case, it usually takes 1 to 2 weeks. Other factors that can affect recovery time include your overall health, oral health, oral hygiene habits, and age. If you are having difficulty recovering, contact your dentist for a follow-up exam. Are you considering dental implants? The recovery process after implant surgery is easier than with other types of oral surgery.

As long as you eat soft foods, avoid smoking, and are in good health overall, you should only need about a day to recover. Have some Tylenol or Motrin on hand for the first day or two. Approximately two weeks after surgery, the implant should be fully healed. You should feel little to no sensation near the implant, no pain or discomfort, and it's time to remove your stitches or they will dissolve on their own if self-dissolving stitches were used. Most of the integration around implants or bone graft materials can take 3 to 6 months depending on your oral health. Dental implants can be used as an alternative to bridges if your natural teeth roots don't allow it or if

dentures

don't fit properly.

Dental implants

are permanent alternatives to dentures and dental bridges which are surgically inserted into the jaw by a dentist. After you have recovered from implant surgery, you should clean your dental implants just like you would clean your natural teeth. How your dentist performs dental implant surgery depends on the condition of your jaw and the type of implant. Once they feel that your mouth is healthy enough to support dental implants, they will work with you to schedule an appointment for the procedure. Depending on how many surgeries you need, you may experience some discomfort like with many other dental surgeries. Research on implant materials, designs and techniques has increased in recent years and is expected to continue growing in the future.

However, there is still much work to be done in order to use better implant designs, biomaterials, surface functionalization and surface modification to improve long-term treatment results. The length of time needed for recovery depends on your state of health before the surgeries and how many implants were inserted. A study conducted by Spanish researchers that tracked 165 dental implants over five years revealed that almost 16% of dental implants failed in patients who smoked compared to only 1.4% in non-smokers. If your gums are healthy, your surrounding teeth are healthy and your dentist is satisfied with your bone density, they will work with you to schedule a date for your dental implant procedure. If additional surgeries are not required, you can expect an average of four weeks for full recovery from dental implant surgery.