For a straightforward single implant, the first few days usually feel a lot like recovering from having a tooth out. A 2017 study in Clinical Oral Implants Research (Yao and colleagues) tracked pain, swelling, bleeding and bruising day by day after several kinds of dental surgery and found that recovery after a routine implant was comparable to a simple extraction, with symptoms fading to almost nothing within two weeks. Implants placed with bone grafting caused noticeably more swelling and bruising.
The part of recovery you cannot feel takes much longer. Bone has to grow against the implant before it is ready to carry a tooth, and that is measured in months rather than days.
The first day
Implants are usually placed under local anaesthetic, sometimes with sedation for people who feel anxious. You will feel pressure and vibration rather than pain. For the rest of the day, a little oozing is normal and is controlled by biting gently on gauze.
A few things help the evening go smoothly:
- take pain relief as your dentist advised, ideally before the numbness wears off
- hold a cold pack against the cheek on and off to limit swelling
- rest with your head a little raised
- stick to cool, soft food and avoid hot drinks while you are numb
- leave the area alone: no poking with the tongue, no spitting hard and no straws
The next few days
Swelling and any bruising usually build over the first day or two and then start to fade. This is when the area is most tender, and it is generally manageable with the pain relief you were advised to take. Many people with a single implant are back at a desk job within a day or two, though heavy exercise is best left for a few days because it can increase bleeding and throbbing.
Keep to soft food and chew on the other side. Brush your other teeth as normal and clean near the implant site gently, using any rinse your dentist recommended. If your stitches are the dissolving type, they will loosen and fall out by themselves; others are removed at a short review visit.
Weeks one to four
By the end of the first week most people feel close to normal and the gum looks much calmer. Over the following weeks the gum closes over or around the implant. You can slowly widen your diet, but keep very hard, crunchy or sticky food away from the implant side until your dentist says otherwise, because the bone underneath is still healing.
If you notice the area becoming more painful rather than less, or swelling coming back after it had settled, call the practice.
The months while bone attaches
The real test of an implant happens out of sight. Bone cells grow onto the implant surface and hold it firmly, a process called osseointegration. Traditionally the final crown is fitted after a healing period of at least a couple of months, and often longer, depending on the bone quality, where in the mouth the implant is and how firmly it was held on the day.
In selected cases a temporary tooth can be attached much sooner. A Cochrane review (Esposito and colleagues, 2013) comparing different loading times found no convincing evidence of a clinically important difference in implant failure between loading early and waiting, but these approaches depend on the implant being very stable when placed, so they are not suitable for everyone. Your dentist will check stability before the crown stage. Whether the implant is left under the gum or uncovered from the start also affects the visits involved, as explained in our article on one-stage and two-stage implant surgery.
When grafting is part of the plan
If bone had to be added at the time of surgery, expect a little more swelling and bruising, and a longer wait before the crown. A separate bone graft or sinus lift done before the implant adds its own healing period of several months. Your dentist will give you a timeline that fits your particular plan.
Things that slow healing
Smoking is one of the most important avoidable ones. It impairs healing and is linked with higher implant failure and more bone loss, so stopping, at least through the healing months, gives the implant a better start. Poor cleaning around the site, chewing hard food on the implant too early and missing review appointments also make problems more likely. Conditions such as poorly controlled diabetes can slow healing too, which is why they are discussed beforehand, as covered in our guide to who is suited to implants.
Signs to call about
Contact your dentist if you notice:
- pain that gets worse after the first few days instead of better
- swelling that increases or returns after settling
- a fever or feeling generally unwell
- bleeding that will not stop with firm pressure on gauze
- numbness of the lip, chin or tongue that is still there the next day
- the implant or its cover feeling loose
These are uncommon, and most are easier to deal with when seen early.
Questions we are often asked
How much time off work will I need?
For a single straightforward implant, many people take the day of surgery and possibly the next day off. More involved surgery, grafting or several implants may need longer.
When can I eat normally?
Soft food for the first week or so, then a gradual return to most foods. Keep hard and crunchy foods off the implant until the crown is fitted and your dentist is happy with healing.
Why does the crown take so long?
The implant needs time to bond to the bone before it carries chewing forces. Waiting for that bond, and checking it, protects the implant over the long term.
Planning ahead
Knowing the timeline in advance makes it easier to plan work, events and meals around treatment. Once the crown is on, the job becomes daily cleaning and regular reviews, which our implant aftercare guide covers, and the dental implant cost guide explains how the fees are usually staged. If you would like your own timeline mapped out, Lumi Dental offers a free implant consult; contact us to arrange a time.
This article is general information and not a substitute for personal dental advice. Follow the specific aftercare instructions given by your dentist. Dr James Tran is a registered dentist.
