The amount of time I have to take off work is usually the second question patients ask, coming immediately after they enquire whether the procedure causes pain. It is a reasonable question and deserves more than a general reassurance.

Healing after receiving dental implants on the same day takes place in several stages. The first two days are quite different from those in the second week, and the second week is nothing like what you experience in the third month. If you have an idea of what to expect at each stage, you can plan your daily activities accordingly rather than having to guess. The realistic timetable listed below is one that reflects the typical way in which healing progresses in a simple case.

Preparing before the appointment

Recovery after same day dental implants proceeds more easily if the preparatory work is carried out a day in advance; it is better to pick up any prescribed medication beforehand than to look for a pharmacy while your mouth is numb.

Fill the refrigerator with yoghurt, laban, soup and other soft foods since no one wants to cook in the evening before surgery. Make sure that a cold pack is ready in the freezer and have an extra pillow on the bed so that you can sleep with your head slightly raised.

If sedation is going to be used, make arrangements for a lift home and cancel any appointments that require a lot of your time for the following two days. Since patients who smoke are generally asked to stop well in advance of their appointment, agree with your dentist about this plan rather than deciding on the day.

Record the clinic’s telephone number and put it into your phone; this is because inquiries usually come in the evening, and having the number readily available avoids causing unnecessary worry.

The first 24 hours

You can expect to feel numb for a few hours after the appointment, followed by some soreness as the anaesthetic loses its effect. Most patients refer to it as a dull ache rather than a sharp pain and generally find the prescribed medication sufficient to control it.

A little bleeding or saliva that is pink is normal on the first day, although swelling has not usually shown up by then and this may lead some people to think that they have escaped it; the swelling typically appears the next morning.

Arrange a calm evening, keep your head a little raised while you are sleeping, put a cold pack onto the outside of your cheek for short periods, and stay away from hot drinks, smoking, and anything you need to chew. It is best to entirely avoid rinsing vigorously on day one.

Days two and three

Swelling usually reaches its peak between 48 and 72 hours, so your cheek could appear puffy, and you might see some slight bruising on the skin, especially if a number of implants have been put in; both of these conditions will resolve on their own.

The discomfort tends to disappear during this period even though the swelling is at its peak. People often work from home on these days instead of taking their full leave, since the problem is about how they look and what they eat rather than feeling unwell.

You can generally start using gentle rinses with salt water at this point if your dentist has recommended them. Keep to soft foods, regularly sip some water, and as normal continue to brush your other teeth; just avoid the area where the surgery was done.

The rest of week one

By the fourth or fifth day, the majority of patients feel significantly more like themselves. The swelling decreases, the pain goes from being constant to occurring only occasionally, and speech stabilises around the temporary tooth.

If you do have stitches, they will either work themselves out or be taken out at a brief follow-up appointment at about this stage. The dentist will also make sure that the temporary crown is sitting in the right position and that your bite hasn’t changed.

Light activity is okay at the moment, but heavy gym sessions, running, and swimming should be postponed for another week since elevated blood pressure could cause the bleeding to start again at the site.

Week two

It is at this stage that real everyday life is resumed. Eating is easier, though still requiring a soft diet, and most people no longer think about the implant except when they are cleaning around it.

Your gums are becoming tighter and are hardening. It is to be expected that they will still appear slightly different in colour from the surrounding tissue since healing is still going on underneath the surface.

You should usually be able to start exercising this week, but you must ask your dentist before going back to contact sports or any activity which might result in a blow to the face.

Weeks three and four

On the surface, the situation now appears to be settled, but on the inside the crucial phase has only just begun. Bone is slowly growing against the surface of the implant, and this process goes on quietly for months without you noticing anything at all.

Since everything feels comfortable, people tend to become overconfident and begin trying out hard foods on the implant side. Don’t give in to that impulse. The temporary crown isn’t designed for heavy biting, and the implant underneath it is still getting used to its position.

Since cleaning will now be easier, establish a proper routine for that area at this time rather than waiting until later.

Month two and beyond

Recovery from this point is generally not noticeable; you go to the review appointments and the dentist examines the stability of the implant, after which normal life continues.

The implant will be found ready somewhere between three and six months, the length of time depending on the quality of your bones and your overall health, after which time your final crown will be put in place. People who have had immediate dental implants usually say that this last appointment seems anticlimactic, and that is a positive thing since the difficult part had already been completed.

What can slow healing down

Several everyday factors influence how smoothly things go:

• Smoking and using e-cigarettes decrease the blood supply to the gums and represent the greatest of all the risks that a person can control when it comes to the healing of implants.
• If diabetes is not well controlled, it will hinder the repair of tissues and must be managed together with your dental treatment.
• The lack of proper cleaning causes gum inflammation, making it uncomfortable and slowing down progress.
• If you grind or clench your teeth at night, this will put a load on the implant, so if you know that you do this, you should mention it.
• Failing to attend the review appointments causes minor problems to go undetected for a longer period of time.

So long as your dentist is aware of them beforehand, he or she can deal with most of these.

Signs worth a phone call

Healing rarely runs into trouble, but a few things should prompt you to contact your clinic rather than wait:

• Pain that increases after day three instead of easing
• The swelling gets worse during the second week.
• A bad taste or discharge from the site
• Fever
• A temporary tooth that becomes loose or falls off
• Numbness in the lip or chin that does not fade

To call in early usually involves only a simple adjustment and not a complicated solution; clinics anticipate such questions and prefer that you get in touch with them on day four rather than at your next scheduled appointment.

Conclusion

The recovery following same-day implants is not as dramatic as most people expect and is in fact longer than most people think. The difficult days are generally confined to the first two or three; normal life is restored within two weeks, and meaningful healing goes on quietly for months thereafter.

Make sure to follow the aftercare instructions provided, keep your review appointments, and be patient with those parts that you can’t see. People who are thinking of having their teeth done on the same day in Dubai should ask their dentist for a written aftercare plan before the procedure so that the timeline is clear from the start. 

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