How Long Does a Dental Implant Take and Why?
Getting a dental implant isn’t a quick process—you’re looking at anywhere from five to eight months from start to finish. The timeline depends on your specific situation, whether you need bone grafting, and how quickly your body heals. While this might seem like a long time when you’re dealing with a missing tooth, each phase serves an important purpose in ensuring your implant lasts for decades to come.
The whole process involves multiple appointments spread across several months because your jawbone needs time to heal and integrate with the titanium implant post, which can’t be rushed. Think of it like building a house—you need a solid foundation before adding the walls and roof. In this case, your implant post is the foundation, and the crown is the finished structure.
Steps for Getting a Dental Implant
Consultation
It starts with a comprehensive consultation appointment where we examine your mouth, take X-rays, and possibly perform a CT scan to evaluate your bone structure. We’ll review your medical history and discuss whether you’re a good candidate for implants.
Using advanced technology, we map out exactly where to place the implant for optimal function and appearance. We’ll create impressions of your teeth and jaw, which help ensure your new tooth matches your natural ones perfectly. You’ll also discuss payment options and insurance coverage during this visit to get all of that figured out.
Tooth Extraction
If you still have the damaged tooth in place, it needs to come out, so we numb the area with local anesthetic before gently removing the tooth. Sometimes we can place the implant during the same appointment as the extraction, especially if your bone is healthy and there’s no infection present.
When there’s significant bone loss or infection around the tooth, you’ll need to wait for the extraction site to heal before moving forward. This healing period allows any infection to clear up and gives us a better foundation to work with.
Bone Graft (if needed)
Missing a tooth for an extended period can cause bone loss in your jaw. During the first year after losing a tooth, bone deteriorates at twice the normal rate. If you don’t have enough bone to support an implant, you’ll need a bone graft to rebuild the area.
The bone grafting procedure involves placing bone material (either from your own body or synthetic material) into the area where your tooth was. This material acts as scaffolding for new bone growth. Unfortunately, bone grafts require about four months of healing before you can proceed with implant placement.
Implant Surgery
The actual implant surgery takes about an hour. We use local anesthetic or sedation to keep you comfortable during the procedure. Using surgical guides created during the planning phase, we precisely place the titanium post into your jawbone.
You might feel some pressure during the surgery, but it shouldn’t hurt. The titanium post acts as an artificial tooth root, and we may decide to cover it with gum tissue to let it heal undisturbed. In other cases, we’ll attach a healing cap that sits at gum level. Either way, this post needs time to fuse with your bone through a process called osseointegration.
Healing Period
This is where patience really comes into play. Your implant needs three to six months to fully integrate with your jawbone. During osseointegration, your bone cells grow around and fuse with the titanium post, creating an incredibly strong bond. This process can’t be rushed—moving too quickly risks implant failure.
While you’re healing, you’ll follow a soft food diet and attend regular checkups so we can monitor progress. We might provide a temporary tooth replacement to fill the gap in your smile. It’s not as strong as your final restoration, but it helps you feel more confident during the healing phase.
Abutment and Restoration
Once your implant has integrated with your bone, it’s time for the final steps. If your implant was buried under the gum, we perform a minor procedure to uncover it and attach a healing cap. After about two weeks, the gum tissue reshapes around the cap.
Then we take impressions of your permanent crown, bridge, or denture and match the color to your existing teeth and ensure the bite feels natural.
The final appointment involves attaching the abutment (a connector piece) and securing your new tooth. We make any necessary adjustments to ensure a comfortable bite. When you leave, you’ll have a fully restored smile that looks and feels like your natural teeth.
Understanding all of these steps helps you understand how long a dental implant procedure takes.
Are Same Day Implants Possible?
You’ve probably seen ads for “teeth in a day” or same-day implants, and yes, they exist—but with a big asterisk. The All-on-4 dental implant system allows us to replace an entire arch of teeth in one day. This technique uses four strategically placed implants to support a full set of temporary teeth immediately after surgery.
Traditional single-tooth implants can’t truly be completed in one day. When dental offices advertise same-day implants for individual teeth, they’re usually talking about placing the implant post and temporary crown in one visit. You’ll still need the full healing period before receiving your permanent restoration. Skipping the osseointegration phase puts you at serious risk for implant failure, as movement is the number one cause of implants not integrating properly.
Full-mouth restorations like All-on-4 work differently because the implants support each other and distribute bite forces across multiple posts. Even then, you’ll wear temporary teeth for several months while healing occurs before getting your final, permanent restoration.
FAQs About How Long it Takes to Get Dental Implants
Why does a dental implant take so long?
Your body needs time to accept and integrate the titanium implant with your jawbone which is a process called osseointegration. Rushing this can lead to implant failure, loose implants, or other complications.
Can a dental implant be done in one day?
A complete dental implant for a single tooth can’t be done in one day. While we might place the implant post and temporary crown in one appointment, you still need months for proper healing and integration. The only true “same day” option involves full-arch restorations like All-on-4, where you receive temporary teeth immediately. Even then, these are temporary—you’ll get permanent teeth after healing completes.
Final Thoughts
Now you know how long dental implants take, and yes, it takes time, but they’re worth it. Unlike other tooth replacement options that need frequent adjustments or replacements, a properly placed and maintained implant can last a lifetime. The months you invest in the process pay off with decades of natural-looking, fully functional teeth.
Ready to start your dental implant journey? The sooner you begin, the sooner you’ll have your complete smile back. Don’t let the timeline discourage you—each phase ensures your implant will serve you well for years to come. Schedule an appointment today to discuss your options and create a personalized treatment timeline.