Recovering From Dental Implant Surgery: What to Expect and When to Call
If your implant surgery is coming up, or you walked in the door from it this afternoon, the questions tend to be the same three: how much this is going to hurt, how long it takes, and what would be worth a phone call. What follows covers the recovery period. The surgery itself, and the steps that lead up to it, are covered separately in the implant process, step by step.
It is not a set of aftercare instructions. Follow the ones you were given by the dentist or surgeon who treated you.
During surgery and the days after
You are given anesthesia that numbs your gums, and you shouldn't feel any pain during surgery. After surgery, it is normal to have slight discomfort and swelling, and over-the-counter pain relievers can help ease these symptoms (Cleveland Clinic).
How long healing takes
The first round of healing takes about one week. During the healing phase, your jawbone should fuse to the dental implant, a process called osseointegration, and that process can take anywhere from three to nine months, depending on how quickly your body heals (Cleveland Clinic).
The temporary tooth
Months of healing raise a practical question about the space itself. In the meantime, your provider may fit you with a temporary solution so you don't have to feel self-conscious about your smile, and if your implant is near the front of your mouth, your dentist will make a temporary tooth for you to wear until you heal (Cleveland Clinic).
When to call your dentist
If you have a dental implant, you should call your dentist any time you notice a loose or wobbly implant, bleeding gums, fever, pus (infection) around the implant, or swollen gums (Cleveland Clinic).
Healing is a separate question from what happens years later, and how long implants last is covered on its own.
We're Dental Associates of Lodi, in Lodi, New Jersey, and Dr. Steven Liao is our dentist. We also have a dental implants page, and if you are new to us, start with our first-visit page.
Sources
- Cleveland Clinic. "Dental Implants." Updated 2026-06-11. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/10903-dental-implants
