Investing Time in Your Smile: How Long Dental Implant Surgery Takes

To most people, time is precious and valuable! As a result, you may want to know how much of it you’ll be investing in dental implants. How long does the dental implant surgery take? What about the recovery afterward?? Get a better understanding of your time investment by continuing to read this post.

Timing Preliminary Procedures

In some cases, gum disease therapy, an extraction, or even a bone graft is necessary to set up successful implants. Any preliminary work will add to your overall timeframe, and these procedures may have varying lengths depending on the severity, the area being treated, and other factors.

The Length of the Dental Implant Placement Surgery

If you are getting just one dental implant, the surgery usually requires an hour or two, depending on the complexity or location. Multiple implants will extend the timeframe of the surgery, or your dentist may schedule multiple appointments to complete surgery for all the implants you need. During your consultation, your dentist should let you know what you can expect in your specific case.

Recovering from Dental Implant Surgery

There are two phases of healing after implant placement surgery. The first is usually quick—your gums tend to close within a week. During that period, you should stay away from hard, chewy, and crunchy foods to give your soft tissues time to heal properly. During the first 48 hours, you need to avoid straws, smoking, or any other action that could dislodge the blood clot that facilitates healing. Afterward, you can resume a normal diet.

The second stage of healing occurs under the surface, in the jawbone. With the implant post touching the bone, the tissue grows and surrounds the post, and they fuse together. This process is called osseointegration, and it may take between three and six months to complete. However, by the end, the implant is secure just like a natural tooth root.

The Overall Timeline for Dental Implant Treatment

When you consider the entire process from beginning to end, you can expect dental implant treatment to take about a year to complete. Again, the exact schedule will depend on how many implants you are receiving, how quickly you heal, and more.

Although dental implants are among dentistry’s most complicated and time-consuming procedures, it can also be one of its most rewarding. When you make a small sacrifice upfront to get implants and then take care of them, you can enjoy new teeth that will improve your confidence and will stand the test of time.

About the Author

Dr. Jeremiah Paylor owns and operates West Arvada Family Dental and enjoys treating the whole family, from young children to aging seniors. For those who are missing teeth, he can place and restore dental implants for a more permanent solution. Instead of referring patients to a specialist, he offers these services in-office. To meet with Dr. Paylor and see if implants are right for your smile, contact our Arvada office online or call our team at 720-776-4900.