Written and clinically reviewed by Dr. Andrew Korcek, DDS, FAGD · Korcek Dental, Minden, Nevada
The complete guide to dental implants
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Most single implants take three to six months from placement to final crown. The fixture is placed in one appointment, then the jaw needs months to fuse bone onto the titanium before a crown can carry chewing force. Extra steps like extraction or bone grafting add time.
The stages, in order
Consultation and 3D scan
One appointment. You leave knowing whether you are a candidate and what the sequence will be.
Extraction, if the tooth is still present
Sometimes the site needs to heal for a period before a fixture can be placed. Sometimes placement happens the same day. The bone around the tooth decides.
Bone grafting, if needed
Adds several months. Not everyone needs it, and the scan tells us in advance rather than as a surprise mid-treatment.
Fixture placement
One appointment under local anaesthetic.
Osseointegration
The long wait. Bone grows onto the implant surface. Nothing is being done to you during this period, which is why it feels longer than it is.
Abutment and final crown
Impressions or a digital scan, then fitting and shade matching.
What makes it longer
- •Grafting, which has to heal before the fixture goes in
- •Active gum disease that needs treating first
- •Smoking, which slows healing measurably
- •Uncontrolled diabetes
- •Site position, since the upper back jaw is less dense than the lower front
None of this is padding. Each waiting period exists because the alternative is a fixture that loosens under load, and a failed implant costs far more time than a slow one.
What you look like in the meantime
This is the question most patients are too polite to ask first. If the gap is visible when you smile, a temporary is provided. You are not walking around Minden with a hole in your smile for four months.
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Quick answers
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