My Tooth Implant Hurts When I Chew. Is this Normal?

Your dental implant shouldn’t cause you pain.

Dental implants are a very beneficial dental procedure. They are designed to look, feel, and function just like your natural teeth. Better than leaving a gap in your teeth, dental implants are a great way to restore your smile and self-confidence and completely overhaul how you appear to others. And for all of these reasons, we want you to love your dental implants. So if your new implants are feeling less than perfect, you should definitely bring it up with your dentist so they can determine the appropriate next steps and follow-on treatment.

Why does my tooth implant hurt?

Dental implant surgery has a 90–95% success rate, which is super successful for any treatment, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t occasions when the implant needs to be addressed. The most common reasons for dental implant pain are as follows.

1. Infection

Gum infection or peri-implantitis can occur on occasion and often shortly after surgery. This happens due to bacteria buildup or poor dental hygiene. If you are not brushing, flossing, and rinsing with mouthwash daily, that pesky bacteria isn’t being adequately vacated from your mouth. To prevent infection, the most important thing you can do is practice good oral hygiene at home. Signs that you have an infection related to your dental implant include pain and trouble chewing, a bad taste in your mouth that won’t go away, fever, redness and swelling around the implant, bleeding or leaking pus, and a loose implant.

2. Instability

Occasionally, your implant can feel loose because of bone loss surrounding it. If you start experiencing bone loss, it might mean your implant is failing or it didn’t appropriately fuse to the bone to begin with. In most cases, a loose implant will occur shortly after the procedure and will need to be removed. Though dental implant failure is rare, it is estimated to occur in under 10% of cases.

3. Nerve Damage

Your nerve endings can be seriously sensitive. If your dentist inadvertently catches the nerve located in your lower jawbone during the implantation process, it can cause discomfort. Thankfully, this is very rare, but if it does happen, typical symptoms include tingling and numbness in the lower part of your chin, lips, or one side of your tongue.

4. Bad Bite

If your dental implant isn’t correctly aligned in your jawbone, you may experience pain in the surrounding bone. When you bite down, that force can then create discomfort.

Regardless of the reason your dental implant hurts, if you are feeling any pain near your implant site and it has been more than two weeks since your surgery, you should reach out to your family dentist immediately.

Is it normal for my dental implant to hurt after surgery?

Some pain and discomfort is expected after dental implant surgery as the numbing agents start to wear off. Following the instructions from your dentist will help keep pain to a minimum and will help your mouth heal faster. It is quite normal to experience pain, discomfort, swelling, bruising, and inflammation by the end of the day of your implant procedure. Bleeding is also customary for the first one to two days following treatment. If, however, you experience pain for more than two weeks after your surgery, it is important to visit your dentist.

Contact First Dental Associates if your dental implant is causing pain.

Losing your adult teeth, even those that are diseased or damaged beyond repair, is a hard concept for many adults to swallow and can bring on feelings of overwhelm, frustration, and vulnerability. And when you don’t have your teeth, the last thing you want to do is smile. But smiles are far more important than people realize. False teeth, notably dental implants, can take all of those negative feelings away.

If your dental implant hurts and you live or work in the Reading, Massachusetts, area, now is the time to request an appointment or give our office a call. Whether you got your dental implants near Reading, MA, or somewhere else, we want to help your mouth feel better so you can enjoy all that your new smile has to offer.