Dental implants
The dental implant timeline.
From first scan to finished tooth usually takes four to six months, and most of that is healing. You'll be in the chair for about five visits.
- Planning: 1 to 2 weeks. Photos, models of your teeth and a 3D x-ray, so we know exactly where the implant will go. How we plan it.
- Placing the implant: 1 visit. About an hour, including numbing and your aftercare instructions.
- Healing: 4 to 6 months. Bone grows onto the implant and locks it in. If the gap shows when you smile, we can make a temporary tooth you can take out.
- Your new tooth: 2 visits. We check that the implant has healed, then fit the abutment and crown.
- Keeping it: every 6 months. Regular cleanings and checkups, a water flosser at home each day, and a night guard to protect it.
If a tooth needs to come out first
There are two ways to do it, and your exam tells us which is right.
- Immediate placement. We take the tooth out and place the implant at the same appointment. This is usually the choice when there's no infection.
- Delayed placement. We take the tooth out, let the area heal for about four months, then place the implant. This is the safer choice when the tooth is infected or badly broken down.
If the bone needs help
When a tooth has been missing for years, the bone under it shrinks. Some people need a bone graft, or a sinus lift for upper back teeth, before an implant can go in. Your 3D scan shows us this before we start, so the timeline we give you already includes it.