Dental implants are generally able to be chewed after healing from a one-phase operation, but early overloading is not recommended to avoid failure of osseointegration during the initial healing period of the implant.
The dental implant technique can generally be accomplished in a two-phase operation. Phase I refers to the process of surgically placing the implant into the jawbone, and Phase II refers to the process of installing the healing abutment and fabricating and installing the superstructure.
The sutures are usually removed 7 days after the first phase of the implant surgery, and 14 days after the surgery, the implant can be locally weight-bearing, i.e., it can be chewed, but it should not be overloaded. Excessive loading can lead to fibrosis at the implant-bone interface, thus affecting the osseointegration of the implant and, in severe cases, causing loosening or dislodgement of the implant.
Clinically, it is generally not recommended to use the surgical side of the implant to chew hard food after the first stage; if it is necessary to wear a denture, the corresponding implant bone bed part of the grinding cushion should be done, to avoid premature loading of the implant, resulting in adverse effects.
For more medical knowledge about dental implants, please consult a professional implantologist.