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When it hurts, how long it lasts and what makes it worse · Seongmo Dental Clinic, Sungshin Women’s University Station · Board-certified specialist in Integrated Dentistry
💡 The short answer. During surgery you feel no pain because the area is anaesthetised; you notice pressure and vibration, but it does not hurt.
Real discomfort starts once the anaesthetic wears off, and for a straightforward placement without bone grafting it is usually about the level of a single extraction and controlled with painkillers.
What decides how much it hurts is not the number of implants but how far the gum is opened and whether bone is grafted.
Seongmo Dental Clinic reads the bone on 3D CT beforehand and plans to keep the incision small.
Contents
This is the first question at almost every implant consultation. Below, step by step: when it hurts, how long it lasts and what makes it worse. The whole process is on the implant page.
No. The procedure is carried out under full local anaesthesia, so pain is blocked. What you do feel is the vibration of the instrument shaping the bone and the pressure of the gum being retracted. Some patients mistake these sensations for pain.
If the injection itself worries you, a computer-controlled anaesthetic system delivers the solution at a steady rate. It is designed to reduce the pressure pain that occurs when anaesthetic enters too quickly.
It begins as the anaesthetic wears off, is strongest that evening and the next morning, and then eases quickly. A simple placement without bone grafting is usually controlled with the prescribed painkillers, and many patients are back to daily life within two to three days.
The stitches are normally removed after one to two weeks. Until then a pulling sensation may remain, but that is different from pain.
First, bone grafting. When bone is lacking and a graft is placed at the same time, the gum has to be opened more widely, and swelling and pain are greater.
Second, sinus procedures: when bone height is short in the upper back teeth the sinus area is involved and recovery takes longer.
Third, placing an implant while removing an infected tooth. Fourth, a longer operation in itself.
Not necessarily. When several implants are placed side by side in one area there is only one incision, so recovery can be easier than one implant in each of two separate areas.
What governs pain is not the number but how many places the gum is opened and how far. That is why reducing the extent of the incision at the planning stage is the core of pain control.
Before surgery, 3D CT shows bone thickness and the position of the nerve, so a route can be planned that minimises incision and drilling. Knowing in advance and deciding after opening make a real difference to operating time.
After surgery, cold compresses during the first 24 hours reduce swelling and pain together. Prescribed painkillers work better taken before the anaesthetic wears off rather than once pain has started.
Pain that does not ease after three days or gets worse, swelling that keeps growing, fever, pus or a strong odour. These call for a check for infection or another problem.
Numbness of the lip or chin that persists should also be reported straight away. It can occur when the site is close to the nerve in the lower jaw.
Is it painless under sedation?
Sedation reduces memory of the procedure and anxiety during it. Post-operative pain, however, starts in the same way once the anaesthetic wears off, so sedation and recovery pain are separate matters.
Please note that Seongmo Dental Clinic does not currently offer sedation; surgery is done under local anaesthesia, with topical anaesthetic and a computer-controlled injection device to keep discomfort low.
How many days do I take painkillers?
For a simple placement, two to three days are usually enough. With bone grafting it can be longer; take them as prescribed.
Can I go back to normal life on the day of surgery?
Light activity is fine. Strenuous exercise, sauna and alcohol increase bleeding and swelling, so it is better to avoid them for a few days.
Does it hurt more than an extraction?
A simple placement is often similar to or less than an extraction. With bone grafting it is greater.
Related information
Seongmo Dental Clinic opened in 1998. I have held this position as the third director since April 2022, and my standard is simple: if I would not do it for my own family, I do not do it for my patients.
An implant should never be placed where a tooth can still be saved, and when one is needed, it should be planned so that as little as possible is cut and the recovery is as short as possible.
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🟡 Opened in 1998; third-generation director in charge of care since April 2022
⚕️ This article was written for information purposes in line with Korean medical law and the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s medical advertising standards.
The course of pain and recovery varies with the extent of surgery, bone grafting and the condition of the mouth.
Please decide on a specific diagnosis and treatment plan after consulting your treating clinician.
This article was written as of September 2026. Treatment-related content is reviewed and updated every three months.
Peer-reviewed sources supporting the explanations above, selected by Dr. Tae-yoon Jang (Director, Seongmo Dental Clinic). Individual results may vary.
