Getting one or several dental implants is a major life decision, and while it’s a sizable upgrade over a dental bridge, partial dentures, or even full dentures, it’s also a sizable investment in terms of time and money.
As a patient, it’s always best to be fully informed about what your treatment will involve, and that's especially true with the dental implants procedure. This guide will educate you on how to navigate the experience of getting dental implants, and what to expect at each stage of the procedure: before, during, and after.
You’ll also gain a clearer understanding of the “why” behind different parts of the procedure thanks to added commentary from our very own dental implant surgeon, Dr. Kayvan Ashnaei.
While your current dentist may offer dental implants, that doesn’t mean you should automatically have the procedure performed by them. Finding the right dental office to place your dental implants is just as important as the type of dental implant and crown materials.
Like with any major decision, you should do plenty of research online before you even contact any dental offices. Your findings should help you create a shortlist of offices who you’ll then contact for an initial consultation.
In general, you should look for dental offices with:
Dr. Ashnaei says:
I want to take a moment to address a common point of confusion—who provides dental implants? In most cases, dental implants are placed by general dentists, like myself, who have completed additional training in dental implant placement. There are also a couple of specialized areas of dentistry where dental implant placement is common: prosthodontics and periodontics, which focus on repairing oral structures and restoring gum health, respectively.
While in smaller communities your options may be limited to just general dentists, here in Metro Vancouver all three types of providers are available. Your task is finding the right balance between cost, convenience, and results. For example, you might feel fine choosing a general dentist for a simple or moderately complex procedure, whereas you may feel the extra cost of seeing a specialist is worth it if you have a particularly challenging case.
Once you’ve narrowed down a list of dental offices to contact, you can begin booking consultations. During the consultation, the dentist you speak with will answer any questions you have about the dental implants procedure, find out more about your dental history, and perform some quick initial examinations; generally, it takes around 45-60 minutes.
If there are other considerations that are important to you, like insurance coverage or the availability of financing plans, this is the time to ask about them as well. You don’t necessarily want to anchor yourself to the dental office with the lowest price - but there’s also no harm in looking around either.
Once you’ve visited all the dental offices on your shortlist, take time to reflect on the experience with each of them. Some observations to think about include:
Dr. Ashnaei says:
Sometimes, meeting with a doctor can be stressful or overwhelming, which makes people forget questions they wanted to ask during the consultation. I recommend writing down a list of questions and bringing it with you — that way, even as you process the information the doctor gives you during the consultation, you won’t forget about any questions you originally wanted to ask.
If you've heard or read about a specific approach to dental implants, like All on X or mini dental implants, the consultation stage is an ideal time to ask about it.
Even if you've done a lot of online research, there may be nuances or considerations that are specific to your case and affect your suitability for a particular dental implants system.
Expressing interest at an early stage will help you understand whether the approach you're interested in is feasible, and - if not - what your alternatives are.
Once you’ve decided on a dental office, the next step will be booking an appointment so the dentist can perform an in-depth physical exam and take detailed scans of your mouth, teeth, and jaws.
The information from these assessments will help the dental office in several ways: firstly, it’ll tell them whether you’ll need any preparatory treatments before you can get your dental implant(s); secondly, it’ll help them understand the safest and most secure way to place your implant(s); and thirdly, it’ll be used to create a personalized, well-fitting crown for each of your dental implants.
Dr. Ashnaei says:
If there's one type of scan you should look for in relation to dental implant surgery, it's the CBCT scan (short for cone-beam computed tomography scan). Unlike traditional x-rays or even intraoral digital scans, which only capture hard tissue like bones or the interior surfaces of your mouth, a CBCT scan creates a complete 3D model of your jaws, teeth, and entire mouth area.
Why is that so important? Because the added information from the CBCT scan lets your dentist see vital details like the precise locations of nerves and blood vessels, and helps them identify points in your jaw with the greatest strength and bone density. Altogether, those details make your procedure safer and more likely to succeed in the long-term.
While we've split the consultation and assessment into two parts in this guide, the two often go hand in hand. That's because an assessment is often required before a doctor can give you detailed, accurate information about the cost and timeline of your treatment.
So, unless you're fortunate enough to find a dental implants provider offering free consultations that include x-rays and CT scans, you should be prepared to incur some costs while exploring your options for dental implants.
These may feel like frustrating upfront charges, but they go towards more than just the time you spend speaking to the doctor. Generally, they cover not only the consultation appointment and imaging, but also the hours that the doctor spends assessing your scans, dental history, and medical considerations to prepare an accurate cost estimate and treatment plan.
As a moderate to major procedure, there are some arrangements you should make to ensure everything goes smoothly during and after your surgery. These include:
Depending on the health of your mouth, you may need to complete other treatments before you can safely receive your dental implant(s). This is something that dentists will mention during the consultation phase as they examine your mouth and ask about your dental history.
The most common pre-treatments for dental implants are periodontal treatment, bone grafting, and tooth extraction.
Dr. Ashnaei says:
During your consultation, it’s a good idea to ask about any preparatory treatments you’ll need, as these treatments can affect both your treatment timeline and procedure cost. The last thing you want is to find out - part way through your treatment - that it’s going to take longer and be more expensive than you originally thought!
If you have advanced gum disease (periodontal disease), the dentist - or a referred specialist - will need to work with you to get the disease under control and improve your gum health before you can begin the dental implants procedure.
The reason is because, left untreated, gum disease can cause serious complications during or after the procedure, including severe infections and outright implant failure.
The reasoning behind bone grafting is simple - if your jaw bone doesn’t have enough bone mass, the implant(s) won’t integrate securely.
To solve this problem, bone is typically taken from another part of your body - usually the hip, tibia, or back of the jaw - and used to strengthen the bone in and around the implant site.
Depending on your procedure, you may need to have other teeth removed before your dental implants are placed. This is typically the case for full-mouth implant procedures and implant-supported dentures that provide the patient with a completely new smile.
When you arrive for your surgery, your dentist will provide you with local anesthetic. Additionally, If your dentist offers it, you may also choose to receive what’s known as “conscious sedation” - which is a stronger type of sedation administered by gas or medication - to help you feel more relaxed and comfortable during your procedure.
The procedure for placing an implant includes:
The total time will depend on the number of implants you’re receiving, with placement for a single implant taking between 30 and 60 minutes, and placement for multiple implants taking several hours.
At the end of your implant surgery, your dentist can fit a temporary crown to each implant for cosmetic purposes; if you’ve heard or seen the phrase “teeth in a day”, this is what it refers to.
Your temporary crown, or crowns, shouldn’t be treated as fully functional teeth. You can use them to eat soft foods, but should generally avoid applying pressure on them, particularly during the first two weeks after your surgery.
Dr. Ashnaei says:
If you’re receiving full mouth dental implants, your temporary teeth may be similar to a removable set of traditional dentures. That can be confusing for people when they’re expecting fixed implants, but rest assured that it’s only a stop-gap measure until your jaws and gums have healed enough for your final set of implants to be placed.
Depending on the number of dental implants you receive and your own body’s natural ability to heal, it may take anywhere from 3 months to 6 months for your dental implant(s) to fully integrate into your jaw bone through a process called “osseointegration”.
Week 1
You’ll feel the most discomfort directly after the procedure, including bleeding, swelling, and soreness. Many people choose to take over-the-counter pain medication to lessen their discomfort, and your dentist can prescribe stronger medication in advance if needed.
At least the first day or two should be completely dedicated to recovering - if you can take more time, that’s even better. You should consume only liquids and very soft foods for the first week. You should gently rinse with a saltwater solution to minimize the chance of infection, and if you've only received one or a few implants, you should continue to carefully brush around your remaining natural teeth.
Week 2
By the second week, most of the initial discomfort should be gone. If you’re still feeling a significant amount of pain, you should contact your dentist immediately - the pain could be a sign of infection.
If you’ve only had 1 or 2 implants placed, you may begin to gradually eat firmer foods near the end of the second week; if you’ve had more implants placed or undergone a more complex procedure, you should continue eating soft foods until the end of the sixth week.
Dr. Ashnaei says:
In my experience, it's around the second and third week that you really need to be mindful and patient about your dental implant(s). During the first week, discomfort usually keeps people on their toes, but since that's mostly gone by the second week, people can - and do - sometimes rush ahead, feeling like their teeth are nearly "back to normal". That can set back your recovery or even put the success of the procedure at risk, so you should always remember to take things slow and give your mouth the time it needs to heal properly.
Week 3-12
During this period, your implants will continue to heal and your mouth will begin to feel “normal” again. Just like before, you should watch out for any new or persistent feelings of discomfort around your mouth, since those could be signs of a complication with your procedure.
Week 12+
Depending on the complexity of your procedure and your body’s ability to recover, your implant sites will have mostly or entirely healed at this point, and your dentist will begin talking to you about abutment placement or permanent crown placement, depending on the type of dental implants you’ve received.
Some dental implants have 2 parts (implant post and crown) while others have 3 (implant post, abutment, and crown). If you’re receiving 3-part implants, an additional procedure is required to place the implant abutment once your jaw has securely grown around the implant post.
To place an abutment, the dentist will gently cut open the gum area to expose the implant, attach the abutment, then reposition the gum area (but not over) the newly attached abutment. Each abutment placement takes roughly 30 minutes, and it’ll take roughly 2-4 weeks of additional recovery time for your gums to heal from the procedure.
After your dentist has verified the strength and stability of your dental implant, they’ll attach a permanent crown - the “tooth part” of a dental implant - to each of your dental implants.
There are different types of implant crowns - some can be removed for cleaning, repairs, and adjustment, but most are cemented or screwed onto the implant as permanent fixtures. Overall, you can expect your dentist to take about 15 minutes to place each crown.
Once your permanent crown has been attached to the implant, you’ll need to take some time to get used to it. In many cases, patients initially feel like the implant is too big, then gradually readjust to the feeling of having a tooth.
If there are still concerns about the look and feel or your crown(s) after a couple of weeks, your dentist will be able to make adjustments until you feel that your smile looks and feels suitably natural.
Dr. Ashnaei says:
Setting aside time to get used to the feeling of new dental implants is especially important if you’ve been missing your tooth or teeth for a long time. When teeth are missing, it can cause changes to a person’s facial structure that they become accustomed to. Dental implants help to restore the facial shape and structure that a person has lost, but it can take a little while to “re-learn” what it feels like to have a full smile.
One of the attractive aspects of dental implants is how similar they are to natural teeth. Compared to other tooth replacement solutions like bridges and dentures, they’re relatively low-maintenance.
Still, “low-maintenance” isn’t the same thing as “no-maintenance”, so there are still some guidelines to keep in mind. Following these tips will allow you to keep your dental implant(s) for decades - or even a lifetime.
As you would with natural teeth, you should still floss, brush, and rinse with mouthwash when you have dental implants. Likewise, you should still continue to visit your dentist for regular checkups.
Gum inflammation and disease can compromise your dental implants, so maintaining excellent oral hygiene is just as - if not more - important than it is before receiving your dental implants.
Dr. Ashnaei says:
This can’t be emphasized enough - gum-related issues are arguably the most common reason for implant failure! While your new tooth or teeth are artificial, your gums aren’t, so, as you get used to your dental implant(s), make it a habit to pay extra attention to the areas where your dental implant and gums meet.
While there isn’t really anything you need to completely avoid, the rule of “all things in moderation” is a good one to follow here.
Drinking beverages like coffee, tea, wine, or soda frequently can stain dental crowns, so it’s best to only enjoy those drinks occasionally (while taking care to rinse and brush your teeth well after doing so).
Dr. Ashnaei says:
Being mindful about staining is especially important if you’re only restoring some of your teeth with dental implants. Natural tooth enamel is more prone to staining than the materials used for dental crowns, like porcelain. So, if you’re not careful, your natural and artificial teeth can stain at different rates, making the effect even more pronounced.
Dental implants let you eat nearly anything...with one notable exception: very hard foods.
Foods that require a strong biting force to eat, like nuts or tough, uncut fruits, should be avoided or eaten sparingly. They’re delicious, but they also run the risk of cracking your dental crown, which will mean more treatment and a costly replacement.
Teeth clenching and teeth grinding are sometimes, but not always, treated before the placement of dental implants. If you have a history of grinding or clenching your teeth while you sleep, you should invest in a high quality, fitted night guard to protect your new smile while you’re catching up on your beauty sleep.
When the time comes for you to pay for the procedure, you usually have three options:
If you maintain good oral hygiene and follow your dentist’s recommendations, your dental implant and crown can last for a long time - but not necessarily forever. With that in mind, there’s good news and bad news.
Let’s start with the bad: while a well-cared for implant can last for a lifetime, a dental crown generally needs to be replaced or repaired every 10-15 years.
The good news is that - at least in Canada and the United States - many dental insurance plans will cover crown replacement roughly every 5 years as long as it isn’t claimed for cosmetic purposes. That’s something to keep in mind if you’re shopping around for new insurance coverage or deciding how much coverage you need from an existing provider.
There’s a lot of planning and consideration involved when getting dental implants - but all the effort is worth it for better oral health and the freedom to smile confidently. In return for months of gradual recovery and a little bit of discomfort, you’ll be getting decades with a comfortable, capable smile.
If you have questions about the dental implants procedure, or if you’d like to book a consultation with Dr. Ashnaei at Poco Comfort Dentistry, please feel free to get in touch with us at our dental office or online.
