There isn’t one direct answer to the question of how long dental implants take, as the type of implant and health of the patient’s oral cavity both contribute considerably to treatment time. With some types of implants, called immediate implants, the implant-supported prosthetic teeth can be affixed to the implants in the same procedure as implant placement. For many patients who are missing multiple natural teeth, however, these are not an option, and standard dental implants will be used. Treatment with standard dental implants requires several visits to the dentist and consultation with dental specialists and produces long-lasting, comfortable, durable, aesthetically superior results. Each of these visits takes time, of course, and the vital healing process that makes dental implants so stable can’t be discounted. While it can take several weeks, if not months, for this healing process to complete, once the implant and bone have fused together, the bond is permanent. This permanent bond is what makes dental implant restorations so stable and comfortable, helping them to function just like natural healthy teeth.
Any dental or medical procedure begins with an examination. Following your initial consultation appointment, you’ll undergo a thorough oral examination, including x-rays and other imaging and a full review of your medical history. Using this data, your dental implant team will devise your specific treatment plan and review this, and its estimated timeline, with you. The next step is surgery. Some dental implant patients require bone grafts or other treatments before implants can be placed; these additional procedures add to the overall treatment time and will be included in the timeline you review with your dental team. The implant surgery itself, which involves exposing the jawbone and drilling the tissue as needed to place a titanium cylinder into the bone. This procedure usually lasts one or two hours for each implant. Following implant placement, the dentist will fit the implant with a temporary crown, to maintain the appearance of the dentition and keep the implant protected as it heals.
The next step is to wait for the implant site to heal, taking care to keep the oral cavity clean and the implant site undisturbed. Your dental team will review your specific aftercare instructions, and your willingness and ability to follow these instructions will influence the time it takes for the bone and implant to fuse together, in a process called osseointegration. While both the oral health and overall health contribute to implant healing time and the rate of osseointegration, in general, the process takes at least four to six weeks and could take as long as three or four months. Again, your dental team will discuss this with you as you plan your treatment and make sure any medical issues or habits that could delay healing can be reasonably managed before they perform implant surgery. Osseointegration keeps the dental implant stable and stimulates the continued health of the bone, so there are no shortcuts allowed.
Once your dentist has determined that the implant site has fully healed, using additional x-rays and examining the area, they will arrange your next procedure. In this final surgery, your dental implant will be exposed from under the gums and the top of the implant will be fitted with an abutment, which is a sort of socket that attaches the implant and the dental restoration and helps the implant bear the forces of chewing. Overall, this process, from beginning to end, could take as few as three months or as many as nine. When additional procedures, like grafts or periodontal treatments, are required, these can be expected to extend treatment time by a month or two. In many cases, this longer time investment is well worth it when compared to the lifetime of comfort and confidence dental implants can provide.