What kind of downtime can I except for dental implants? How long before I can eat and will there be a lot of pain?

The downtime that you will experience after having dental implants placed depends on several factors.  How many are you having placed? Where in the mouth are they?  Do you have good bone or will considerable bone grafting need to be done?  For those having one implant they can typically go to work the next day.  If your having 8-10 implants you will probably need to take off for a few days as you will be sore and on some pain medication.  You will be asked to eat soft foods only for a few days.  If there are multiple teeth that need to be extracted at the time of implant placement, the healing can take 1-2 weeks, before the soreness goes away. 

I can answer this from personal experience.  I have had a few teeth extracted and implants and bone graft performed.  The teeth fractured after years post root canal and crown.  I was back to work the next day with no problems.

Dear Jen G, This depends on what are you looking at single tooth replacement, for implant bridges or full mouth implants, with single tooth implant or small multiple teeth bridges the down time is zero to 2-3 days and for a full arch to full mouth rehab can take upto 7-8 days for the discomfort to subside., and normal eating can also be started in the similar time frame. in case of delayed loading the final crowns and bridges are done after 3-4 months then you can eat anythig and everything

Every case is different and needs to be diagnosed carefully. Some cases can be loaded immediately, other times we require the implant to fuse to the bone during 4-6 months before attaching the tooth. Most of the times you can continue life as usual with minimal swelling or discomfort. Dental Implants are the best tooth replacement option. Good luck.

Recovery is different for everyone, but generally 3-7 days for a full mouth procedure is normal. There may be some swelling, but you are able to go about your daily routine within 3-5 days. You will be on a softer diet while your implants heal (anything you can cut with a fork - so things like baked chicken and boiled veggies are perfectly good to eat). Some patients eat a light meal the same day as surgery. Pain also varies. With the New Teeth Now procedure, about half experience pain and half do not. Most often times, patients take Tylenol or Advil while they are recovering, but we do provide pain prescriptions just in case.

Downtime typically depends on the number of implants being placed and the additional procedures performed, if any, such as bone grafting. Although everyone's experience can be different downtime for a single dental implant is typically less than the extraction downtime. Typically, most are low key for a day and able to return to normal activities and a modified diet the next day. 
Hope this is of help. 
J. Kraus

As surprising as it may seem the placement of  implants is painless and afterwards the majority of patients  have no or very minimal pain / swelling or bruising. Patients can keep to their normal routine , and healing is usually  uneventful.

I usually place the implant and restore with  the actual crown, or bridgework on top after 2-4 months.

Dentistry has evolved so much that nowadays dental procedures are almost painless if you take good care of yourself and you rest.
Getting implants is going to depend on many factors: bone density, healthy gums, etc. Anyhow, if everything is fine and you rest properly, after surgery your cheeks will be swollen for 3 days normally, of course this is not always the case, the reaction on each person can be different. 
About food, you are going to have a soft diet for about  5 days. You have to avoid hot, crunchy and spicy foods, avoid alcohol and cigarettes above all.
My best recommendation will be:  get your implants with an Implantologist with experience.

Implants offer stability because they fuse to your bone through a process called osseointegration. This helps your replacement teeth feel more natural. Many people find dental implants much more comfortable than conventional dentures and bridges. 
The recovery time varies per patient, but normally we recommend to take the day after the initial surgery off of work just in case you are feeling any discomfort as well as to be able to attend a postop appointment. During the implant process from start to finish (3-6 months) you will need to attend a few postop appointments that usually take around 30 mins each to ensure that everything is healing well and integrating into the bone correctly. Discomfort shouldn't last more than a couple days after the initial surgery and if it does persist after the first few days we always recommend stopping by the office for a quick look.

Hi Jen
Your recovery time really depends on the nature of the implant procedure to be done. Most dental implant procedures require next to no down-time, and minimal discomfort if any for healing. But you do need to take care not to eat over the area and avoid putting pressure on it for a few weeks as it integrates into the bone. If you are having a more advanced procedure, such as one involving bone grafting, gum grafting or full mouth implants, then you can often expect a few days of discomfort and/or swelling, but this is generally looked after well by pain control medication. 
Everybody is different too. I perform full mouth immediate implant teeth replacement surgeries where the patient reports no post operative pain. I have also placed a simple single implants where the patient has taken pain control medications such as Ibuprofen for a few days. I hope that is helpful!
*This is general advice only and does not constitute a professional dental assessment or opinion.