The dental implant procedure brings welcome tooth replacement to people who are missing teeth, but we find there are a lot of misconceptions about dental implants. Today we would like to clarify some of them, and shed a bit more light on this very important dental procedure.
Dental Implants Aren’t Overnight Solutions
One of the most common questions we are asked about dental implant surgery is how long does a dental implant take. A lot of patients think it might be an immediate replacement, but actually the procedure can take many months to be completed.
Depending on the surgeries that you need, you might only spend one or two hours being operated on in total, but there are other small procedures that will have to be completed for your dental implant surgery to be successful.
How does a dental implant procedure work?
Depending on your circumstances, your milestones might look something like this:
- Initial consultation
- Bone grafting (if required)
- Placement of the dental implant
- Placement of the abutment (if required)
- Placement of the dental crown
Not everyone will go through each of the stages listed above, but importantly, each of the stages needs to be fully completed before you can move onto the next one. This is significant because some people may need a few months to heal properly between each stage of their procedure. This makes it very difficult to establish how long your procedure will take, but your dentist will discuss it with you when you are reviewing your treatment plan.
