Home News & Blog Dental Implant Process Timeline – What To Expect?

Dental Implant Process Timeline – What To Expect?

13th January 2022

Getting dental implants is undoubtedly one of the best things you can do for missing teeth, but it takes time. Typically, a dental implant procedure is not completed in a single visit and takes many months. The result is a permanent, long-lasting restoration that becomes part of your smile.

When you come in for an implant consultation at your local dental clinic, you will go through a dental implant process timeline that requires multiple visits to ensure the best results. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at how the dental implant process pans out in terms of timescale. Before we do, however, it’s worth talking about why you might need dental implants in the first place.

Implant restoration – Why you might need one

timeframe surgery tooth implant sydney The first and obvious reason is if you have one or more missing teeth. Dental implants are designed to anchor directly into the jawline where your missing tooth once stood. While the crown represents the aesthetic part of a smile, the titanium implant provides functionality. Because bone fuses with the implant over time, it becomes a stable and integral part of the mouth.

Another reason for getting dental implants is to stabilise a denture or dental bridge. Because dental implants are a standalone restoration (e.g., they don’t rely on the support of existing structures in the mouth), they can hold these fixtures in place.

So now you know why you might need dental implant surgery, let’s dive into the stages of the dental implant process.

Stage 1 – Consultation

The first step in the dental implant process timeline is getting a consultation with a dentist. During this process, the dentist evaluates the current condition of your teeth and gums and will take dental X-rays to determine whether there is sufficient bone mass present to place one or more dental implants safely. This may take around 45-60 minutes.

Stage 2 – Extraction/Bone grafting

Sometimes a tooth or teeth will need to be extracted – typically when a disease has taken hold, and the tooth cannot be saved. In these instances, you will be called back to the practice for tooth extraction.

In most cases, this is a comfortable procedure that takes anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes. It can take longer, however, if the tooth is impacted.

Once the tooth is extracted, you may need a bone graft. Often, when teeth and gums are diseased, the quality of bone may be poor, or you may have lost bone density. Having sufficient bone to anchor the implant into is crucial for success. Typically bone grafting is carried out immediately after extraction and takes somewhere between 20 and 90 minutes, depending upon the complexity of the extraction.

Stage 3 – Healing time

Before a dentist can attach dental implants, the newly-placed bone graft needs to adhere to the existing bone properly. This can take anywhere between 3 and 6 months and is added to the overall dental implant process timeline.

Stage 4 – Implant insertion

When it comes to getting dental implants, everyone dreads this part. Yet, in reality, it’s a comfortable and straightforward process that takes less than one hour to complete. During this part of the dental implant process, you will be sedated but remain awake. The implant can either be inserted into the jaw using traditional methods or digitally, using computer-guided technology. Either way, it will be over before you know it.

Stage 5 – Osseointegration

Once the dental implant is in position, the bone tissue will need to fuse with the titanium implant to create a solid structure. The process of bone fusion is known as osseointegration. Again, just like a bone graft, this part of the dental implant process can take a further 3-5 months to complete.

During this time, patients should be free to go about their everyday lives and not feel any discomfort, but care should be taken when eating or chewing on the site or area. Your dentist may suggest switching to a softer food diet while bone fusion occurs.

Stage 6 – Fitting the abutment and crown

After your dental implants have fully stabilised, the dentist will take an impression, ready to fabricate the abutment and the crown itself.

treatment procedure tooth implant sydney The abutment has a two-fold purpose. Firstly it provides the support between the implant and the crown, and secondly, it acts as a shock absorber, cushioning the bite force and dispersing it through the implant and down into the jaw.

Sometimes the abutment will be fitted first. During this part of the dental implant process, the implant is uncovered beneath the gum, and the abutment fitted. Sometimes an x-ray is taken to ensure the abutment is sitting correctly. The process takes around 10-30 minutes.

Typically it takes around two weeks to heal from an abutment procedure, but you may have to wait up to six weeks before your permanent crown is attached.

So, that’s the dental implant process timeline in a nutshell.

If you add all that up, it can take up to nine months to undergo an implant-based restoration from start to finish. While that seems like a lifetime to get the fully-restored, confidence-boosting smile you want, most people agree that dental implants are well worth the wait.

To find out more about the implant procedure or to see whether you’re a candidate, book a consultation with a dentist at No Gaps Dental. With 15 locations scattered throughout the Sydney Metro area, we provide convenient, affordable solutions without compromising quality.

Call us today on (02) 8806 0227.

Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks.