Surgery day, minute by minute.
Almost nobody publishes an honest account of what this day is actually like, so people walk in scared of the unknown. Here is the whole day at our practice, plus the first week after, written the way we would tell a friend. Reviewed by Dr. Syeda.
The day itself
Nothing to eat or drink after midnight
Because you will be sedated. Arrange your ride now, lay out loose comfortable clothes, and go to bed early if your nerves let you. If they do not, that is normal. Many patients tell us the night before was the hardest part of the whole thing.
You check in, and you will not wait long
Your day is blocked out in advance. You are not sharing your surgeon with a waiting room. You meet the team, Dr. Syeda walks through the plan one more time, and you can ask anything, including the questions you think are silly. They are not.
You get comfortable, and then you are not really there for it
An IV goes in, which feels like any blood draw, and within a minute or two you stop caring about anything else. Most patients remember almost nothing of the procedure. You are monitored the entire time. For most people the fear of this part turns out to be far worse than the part itself.
Failing teeth out, implants in, permanent teeth on
Dr. Syeda removes what cannot be saved, places the implants, and attaches your zirconia arch, the one made for your face in the weeks before. You are never without teeth. Depending on your case this takes a few hours. To you it will feel like minutes.
Groggy, numb, and done
You wake up with teeth. You will be swollen, numb, and foggy from sedation, and you will not remember much of the afternoon. That is normal. Your ride takes you home with written instructions and your first doses of medication already planned out.
Rest, cold packs, soft food, and a phone that answers
Expect swelling to start, some oozing, and a strange feeling that is more pressure than pain when the numbness fades. You will have our number, and it reaches a person. If something worries you at nine at night, call. That is what the number is for.
The first week, honestly
The swollen days
Swelling peaks around day two or three, and bruising can show on your cheeks or neck. It looks worse than it feels. Cold packs, the medication schedule, and sleeping with your head raised get you through it. Food is smoothies, yogurt, soup, eggs. You will be tired, so rest without guilt.
Turning the corner
Swelling starts falling, most people are off the stronger medication, and eating gets easier. Speech may feel odd for a while as your tongue relearns the room it lives in. That adjusts. By the end of the week most patients are back to most things, minus hard food.
Healing you cannot feel
Under the surface, the implants are fusing with your bone. You eat soft for a while longer than feels necessary, you keep your follow-ups, and you let biology finish the job. Dr. Syeda sees you herself at every check, the same doctor from your first scan.
What we will not pretend
Nearly every patient tells us the same thing afterward: the worry before was worse than the day. That is exactly why this page exists.
Step one is just a scan
Before any of this, there is a free 3D scan and an honest conversation about whether this is even right for you. That is the only decision in front of you today.
See if you qualifyQuestions first? Call or text (301) 498-6511.