When you lose one or more teeth, it creates problems that go far beyond just aesthetics. For example, it can also lead to adjacent teeth drifting out of place or becoming misaligned. And it eventually leads to bone loss and gum shrinkage below where the tooth used to be.

Dental implants are the only tooth restoration method that puts pressure back on your underlying jawbone to prevent bone resorption and to avoid all the problems of tooth loss without creating new ones (such as sore gums from removable dentures).

But how long does it take to get one or more dental implant put into your mouth?

The Traditional Dental Implant Process
Tooth loss and ensuing bone loss can go on for months or years, in many cases, before getting an implant. The sooner after losing a tooth you move to restore it, the better. If your bone mass is too thin, you may need preliminary bone grafting to prepare your mouth for the procedure – which can add months to the overall process.

In other cases, tooth extractions can be followed up by implant surgery with little to no delay. And, in still other scenarios, gum disease may delay the commencement of implant placement.

However, all that aside – under normal circumstances, it will take a few months to place dental implants and allow time for your mouth to heal. In general, you will need to go through a two-step process plus follow up visits.

The first step involves the placement of a titanium “post” into the site where your tooth used to be. Your periodontist will have to drill a hole through the gums and (sometimes) slightly into the bone. The titanium root will be installed and the post covered with gum tissue. Stitches may be used on some areas of your gums – some of which dissolve by themselves and some of which have to be later removed.

Two to three months after the first step, the top of the titanium root will be exposed and then capped with a permanent dental crown.

Speeding Things Up With Teeth In One Day
Given that your gums and your alveolar ridge (jawbone) are healthy enough, you should be able to qualify for same-day dental implants. Getting new teeth in one day may seem revolutionary – and it is.

It works much the same way as ordinary implants, except you have only one dental visit and one follow up. The procedure may take from one to four hours, depending on how many implants you are having placed that day and on whether or not any extractions are being done as well.

You can have your dental implants capped immediately with a permanent dental crown, though some prefer to use a temporary crown while their mouth is still tender. Alternatively, you can have permanent dentures or bridges affixed to the implants – also same-day!

Same-day implants aren’t for everyone, but they do save time and they do have an impressive 98% success rate. If you fear the dental chair or simply have an ultra-busy schedule, teeth in one day might be for you.

To learn more about traditional dental implant surgery and about the teeth in one day procedure, contact us at Ormond Beach Periodontics & Implant Dentistry today!