How Long Does the Dental Implant Process Take?

Dental implants are becoming more and more popular, so maybe you’ve been looking into them yourself to replace a missing tooth. We review just what that process looks like and how long it takes here.

If you’ve been looking at choices for replacing your missing tooth or teeth, you’ve probably heard of dental implants. Dental implants are quickly becoming the popular choice for tooth replacement for many people because they have so much to offer.

However, it’s important to note that getting dental implants can be quite the commitment, since it has so many steps to it, and each of these steps takes time to complete.

So, if you’ve decided on dental implants as the best choice for replacing your missing teeth, our team at Wilshire Park Dental Group, located in Los Angeles, California, wants to walk you through each step of the process to give you an idea of how long each step takes.

Getting ready for dental implants

The timeline for dental implant surgery is going to look a little different for everyone. In order for you to be able to get dental implants you need a sufficient amount of healthy jawbone. The location of your implants can also affect the process.

If you don’t have enough jawbone to anchor your dental implants to, or if you’re getting implants close to your sinuses, you may need one of the following procedures added to your dental implant process:

Sinus augmentation

If you’re getting dental implants in your upper jaw, you may need sinus augmentation. This is because putting dental implants right next to your sinuses can be tricky. So, we add some room to your sinus floor in order to make room for your implants.

It can take anywhere from 4-12 months to recover from this procedure.

Ridge modification

If you don’t have enough healthy jawbone for implants, we need to perform ridge modification. This is the process of lifting up your gums and adding a jawbone substitute to your existing bone to build it up. This makes it sturdy enough to support an implant.

Ridge modification can also take 4-12 months to recover from.

If you don’t need either of these procedures, then you’re able to skip right to the actual dental implant surgery.

Dental implant surgery

There are three steps to dental implant surgery. The first part of the process is to place the titanium posts in your jawbone where your natural tooth is missing. This acts as your new tooth root and gives the rest of the implant stability. Before moving on to the next step, your jawbone needs to heal and grow around the titanium post. This takes about 6-12 weeks.

After the post is secure and your jawbone is healed, we can place the abutment. This is the connector that attaches your artificial tooth to your artificial tooth root. Right after that step, the only thing left to do is place your crown, or artificial tooth. This is created to look just like the rest of your natural teeth so it can blend right in.

Overall, your dental implant process can take anywhere from six weeks to over a year. However, if you’re willing to put in the time, it’s worth it since dental implants can last you a lifetime.

To learn more about if you’re a good candidate for dental implants, or to get started on your dental implant process, contact our team to schedule a consultation. Give us a call or use our online booking tool today.