What Happens During a Dental Implant Procedure?
The dental implant procedure can be a long one, but it’s completely worth it in the end.
Imagine getting rid of that partial and never be embarrassed by your missing teeth ever again. That’s the purpose of this service. Granted, it takes a lot more time to get the final result— so if you’re looking for a quick fix for your broken tooth, this isn’t the solution for you.
But, if you’re someone who wants a permanent fix to your teeth problems, the dental implant process is something you should be aware of. It can take up to a year to get your final results because there are weeks of healing time in between.
To give you an idea of what it’s like from start to finish, we’ve broken down each stage of the process!
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The Dental Implant Procedure
Before you call up your dentist to book a procedure, keep in mind that you have a long road ahead of you. Whether you’re looking for one or multiple implants, the process can take up to a year.
The reason for that is mostly due to recovery time. This allows you to keep your regular schedule and helps to make sure the implants are secure in your mouth.
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Think you’re ready for the commitment? Here’s what you need to do:
Week 1: Find a Dental Implant Dentist
You don’t want any Average Joe dentist providing you with this service. You don’t have to go to a dental implant specialist, but we highly recommend looking for a dentist who has a long history with this type of procedure (if you’re in the Los Angeles area, give Dr. Lasry a call). Always make sure to thoroughly read their reviews and look for some dental implant before and after pictures!
Once you’ve found the perfect dentist, you’ll schedule your first appointment. On this day, we’ll pick out the type of implant you want, create an impression of your mouth, and do a full scan. This helps us determine what steps we’ll need to take to come up with an estimated timeframe.
The scan is essential because we’ll need to determine if your jawbone is strong enough to withstand this procedure. If it’s not, we’ll recommend a bone graft (more on that next).
Lasry Dental Clinic is offering free 3D scans for dental implant patients, by the way!
Week 2: Teeth Pulling and Bone Grafting (Sometimes)
Let’s say you’re interested in a permanent tooth replacement because you’ve already lost that tooth. That’s actually a best-case scenario because it saves you a ton of time.
However, if you’re looking to replace a fragile or broken tooth, we will need to pull it first. It takes 7-10 days to fully heal from tooth extraction, so it may be a few weeks or months before the next step in this procedure.
And as we mentioned, your jawbone strength will determine how long or short this entire process will be. If it’s too weak to undergo drilling, then you’ll need a bone graft. There are three types of bone grafts, which you can read about here.
A bone graft is the one step that will extend the timeframe in which you get your final results. You’ll need to allow a minimum of four months to heal from a bone grafting procedure.
Week 3-4: Placement
Whether or not you need a tooth pulled, it’s likely that your next appointment won’t be for another month from your initial consultation.
During that time, we’re doing our due diligence to prep your permanent crown. However, we need to do a few more things before we put in that final placement.
The next time we see you will be for the implant of your titanium rod. This is a permanent piece in your gums that will hold the final crown in place. After giving you some local anesthesia, we’ll drill into your gum and jawbone (or graft) before securing in the rod placement.
The time frame for healing after the rod placement varies depending on your age and overall oral health. However, we like to wait anywhere between 4-7 months for your gums and jawbone to heal around this new addition. It’s a process known as osseointegration.
This means your next appointment may be quite a ways away.
Week 16: More Healing
If you had braces as a kid, you know how important it is to take your time with adjusting your teeth. Yes, the dental implant process is long, but just think: a year from now, you’ll never have to worry about them again.
Even though we’ve waited a few months to make sure the rod has healed properly, now we need to make sure the cap itself will heal nicely with your gumline.
That’s why the next step is the placement of an abutment. An abutment is screwed into the rod implant along with a healing cap. This cap will be flush with your gums, giving them time to adjust and prepare for your permanent crown.
Thankfully, you only need to wait 2 more weeks for this stage to heal.
Week 18: Crown Placement
The time has finally come to put the final building blocks into place! Now that we have your permanent crown made and your gums have completely healed, we can screw in the final crown(s).
And that’s it.
Healing from the crown placement is usually only a week to let the inflammation or soreness die down.
RELATED: WHAT IS BONE GRAFTING?
Dental Implant Before and After
So, what can you expect before and after your dental implant procedure? Here’s a photo of one of our more recent patient smile transformations!
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Recovery for Dental Implants
As you can see, recovery for dental implants takes place during each step of the process. This makes it more comfortable for you and ensures that you won’t need to take much time off work. You won’t have to worry about missing big events or holidays, either!
Just to reiterate, here is the timeline for recovery for each stage:
- Teeth Pulling (optional): 10 days recovery time
- Bone Grafting (optional): 4-12 months recovery time
- Dental Implant Placement: 4-7 months recovery time
- Healing Cap Placement: 2 weeks recovery time
- Permanent Cap: 1-2 weeks recovery time
The longest time this process takes from beginning to end is 18 months (that’s with teeth pulling and bone grafting). But chances are, you’ll be able to see your new smile in as soon as 6-12 months.
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FAQs
Can you get more than one dental implant at a time?
Yes, you can get one or several dental implants at a time. If you’re looking to get several implants in a row, then we would give you a bridge.
How much does a dental implant cost?
The New York Times and American Academy of Implant Dentistry say that a single tooth implant can cost between $3,000 to $4,500. Read here for more details.
NEXT: COMPOSITE BONDING COST, PROCEDURE, AND RESULTS
If you’re in Los Angeles, contact Lasry Dental Clinic to talk about your implant options! We’ll customize a plan specific to your needs, and you get FREE 3D scans.
Wow, it’s so great that you explained how a dental implant procedure takes place! Last week, my cousin fell down his bike and lost a tooth piece in the process! My cousin said he’s ready to start exploring dental implants and see if they’re right for him, so I’ll gladly share your insight with him! I appreciate your advice on looking for an experienced dentist for dental implant surgery!
I greatly appreciate you talking about the full recovery period when getting dental implants. Learning how it will take time for that to happen can help me plan out a proper schedule so I can get the tooth replacement I need to stay stable. I’ll plan things out when I work with a dental implant expert in the area with this schedule in mind.
It helped when you said that the entire process takes up to 18 months. My cousin was at my house yesterday afternoon for lunch, and she talked about how she wants to get an implant to replace a cracked tooth of hers. I’ll pass this information along to her so she can know more about getting a dental implant.
Thank you for explaining that you will get a crown placement at week 18. I’ve been wanting to learn more about this whole process since my sister mentioned she would be getting a dental implant. It’s interesting to know that it will be such a long healing process.
I lost a tooth, and I’m not sure how to replace it. It’s good to know that dental implants can effectively replace a missing tooth! That seems like a great way to ensure that my jaw doesn’t have any problems in the long run.
Imagine getting rid of that partial and never be embarrassed by your missing teeth ever again. That’s the purpose of this service. Granted, it takes a lot more time to get the final result— so if you’re looking for a quick fix for your broken tooth, this isn’t the solution for you.
This is a comprehensive article explaining the dental implant procedure. The detailed description of each step makes it easy to understand. Great job on providing helpful information to anyone considering dental implants. Thank you for sharing.
Very good! Thank you for explaining all of the procedures involving dental implants in great detail!
Love all of the images and videos in this blog post! Great job with everything you have done with this. Very well detailed. I recently got dental implants and I never smiled so much! I love having this much confidence.
Notice that level of pain isn’t mentioned…as someone who is a young, very pain tolerant athlete..I’ve had 2 implants done, teeth I’ve lost due to playing sports. I’ve been on narcotics after both teeth implant procedures and on IV antibiotics for the last implant due to a severe implant abscess.
I have had 3 dental implants. They are easier than having your teeth cleaned because you’re given novacaine and don’t feel a thing. You are also given antibiotics so you don’t get an infection after they initially pull the bad tooth. Perhaps your dentist forgot to do that. The entire process was an absolute pleasure with spectacular results!
This blog post provided a comprehensive overview of the dental implant procedure. The step-by-step explanation, along with the benefits and aftercare tips, gave me a clear understanding of what to expect. A valuable resource for anyone considering dental implants.
It really helped when you said that we need to choose a dentist who has a long history when it comes to dental implant procedures. I will follow your advice now that I wanted to get a gap between my molar teeth filled. It has been making me uncomfortable for me to eat, because food particles get stuck in it every time.
Excellent post! The step-by-step breakdown of the dental implant procedure is both informative and easy to follow. Thanks for making the process so clear for potential patients!