Dental implants can be life-changing for individuals experiencing partial or total tooth loss. They offer a permanent solution that can restore strength to your jawbone and elevate your self-confidence. Feeling good about your smile is essential to your performance at work and even your relationships.
Investing in your oral health is the first step, and dental implant surgery is well worth the long lead up to your actual procedure date. But how long does it take for dental implants to heal?
What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are the closest thing to natural teeth. Not only do they interact with your jawbone in the same way a natural tooth with a root does, but they provide strength for chewing and are also visually an excellent match for a real tooth. They consist of three parts:
- The implant
- The abutment
- The replacement tooth or crown
The lead up to your dental implant surgery date requires a significant time commitment for dentist appointments. Your dentist needs to assess your jaw health through scans and imaging to ensure the bone is strong enough to support the implant. If you need a bone graft or sinus lift, it may take two weeks to three months to heal completely.
On your surgery date, your dentist places the dental implant in your gum and into the jawbone. The implant is a biocompatible titanium rod that fuses to the jawbone over time, creating a new artificial tooth root.
This is immensely beneficial because the presence of the implant means the jawbone will be stimulated by chewing just like it would with a natural tooth. You are less likely to lose bone density, altering facial structure, which can happen when tooth gaps are left unfilled.
After your dental implant surgery, your gums must heal before you can have your abutment and replacement tooth put in.
How Long Does It Take for Dental Implants to Heal?
The healing process for dental implants is long, but this is primarily because of the wait time between the dental implant surgery and your abutment placement date. Following dental implant surgery, it takes four to six months for the implant site to heal. Healing time also depends on how many teeth are being replaced. If you have more than one tooth replaced, the procedure is more involved. The location of the tooth also affects healing time, with front teeth healing faster than back teeth.
During this time, you must be extremely careful when eating, exercising, and carrying out your regular oral care routine. Particularly for the first two weeks post dental implant surgery, your gums may feel tender at the incision site. Avoid hard, sharp, crunchy foods that might aggravate the area.
You must also avoid drinking from a straw or brushing too hard to avoid loosening the blood clot at the surgical site, which can cause a painful secondary condition called dry socket.
After about six to nine months, you can expect your dental implant to be completely healed and settled. However, after the initial few weeks following surgery, the majority of the recovery process is not something you will notice or feel. This is when osseointegration occurs, and the bone fuses to your implant.
Once that happens, the rest of the recovery is from the abutment placement, which requires your dentist to make another incision in the gum, exposing the dental implant. The tissues of the gum are closed around the abutment but not over it so that the replacement crown can be attached. The time for the gum to heal around the abutment usually takes around four to six weeks.
In some cases, your dentist may attach the abutment on the same day as your dental implants, speeding up the recovery process significantly. However, you need time for osseointegration and gum healing before your dentist can attach your permanent crown.
No Gaps Dental uses CEREC® crown technology, which allows the replacement tooth to be placed in a single appointment.
When to Consider Dental Implants ?
Despite their many benefits, dental implants are not the tooth replacement solution for everybody. To be eligible for dental implants, there are few criteria you must meet. Consider implants if you’re self-conscious about your smile and you have:
- One or more missing teeth
- A strong jawbone
- Healthy gums
With a healthy jaw and gums, a dental implant can offer a permanent replacement for your natural teeth that restore your ability to eat and speak normally. Dental implants are even stronger than a natural tooth because they can withstand more pressure.
If you are interested in dental implant surgery, get started by contacting your dentist. The process leading up to inserting the implant is lengthy and can take months of appointments, on top of the recovery time post-operation.
No Gaps Dental Can Help
So, how long does it take dental implants to heal? The timelines vary for everyone, but osseointegration should occur between four to six months following your implant procedure. After that, your abutment placement will require another incision, which means another four to six weeks of rest and recovery before the crown is fitted.
The speed of healing is unique to the individual and depends on the health of your jaw, gums, and your immune system function. Following the directions of your dentist closely can also help keep your recovery time on track.
If you believe you’re a viable candidate for dental implants, contact No Gaps Dental today on (02) 8806 0227 to book an initial consultation. We have 15 locations across New South Wales, including 2 practices in Sydney for your convenience.
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks.