Overview of Implant Placement

The Dental Implant Surgical Procedure

The procedure to place a dental implant takes 30 minutes for one implant and one or more hours for multiple implants. The number of appointments and time required, vary from patient to patient. Dr. Fatehi will bring great precision and attention to the details of your case.

For greater comfort, you may receive intravenous sedation during your surgery. This option will be discussed with you at your consultation appointment. A local anesthetic will be administered to numb the area where the dental implant will be placed.

When you are comfortable, Dr. Fatehi will make a small incision in the gum tissue to reveal the bone, creates space using special instruments, and gently, comfortably and accurately inserts the titanium implant. An appropriately sized healing abutment is placed over the implant which is flush with the gum. 

A depiction of the upper jaw with all normal teeth
1. Normal
An example of the upper jaw missing a tooth with the jaw bone unhealed
2. Tooth Loss
A representation of a healed upper jaw bone after losing a tooth
3. Healed Bone
A representation of the healed jaw bone after placement of the dental implant
4. Implant Placed
An example of a fully restored tooth using a dental implant
5. Implant Restored

Healing after Dental Implant Surgery

Now the healing begins. The length of time varies from person to person, depending upon the quality and quantity of bone. Dr. Fatehi will advise you on follow-up care and timing. 

Follow-up care (one to four appointments) is usually needed to ensure that your mouth is healing well and to determine when you are ready for the restorative phase of your treatment. Usually 3 months after the placement of the implant,  a final abutment (support post) will be placed onto the dental implant during a brief follow-up visit. In some instances the placement of the abutment will require two separate visits, where an impression is taken at the first appointment and the seating of a custom abutment is done in a second visit, spaced a few weeks apart. Dr. Fatehi will make the determination on which type of abutment will be best for your particular situation.

Whether it’s one tooth or all of your teeth that are being replaced, your dentist will complete the restoration by fitting the replacement tooth (crown) to the dental implant.

Dental Implants Presentation

To provide you with a better understanding of dental implants, we have provided the following multimedia presentation. Many common questions pertaining to dental implants are discussed.

Dental Implants Presentation

When are dental implants placed?

Implants are often placed several months after extraction. 

If your tooth has been missing for some time, the adjacent support bone is likely to grow thinner and shrink. This occurs because the root of the natural tooth has to be present to stimulate the bone. As much as one third of your jaw’s thickness can be lost in the year following tooth extraction. If you are missing enough bone, you may benefit from having additional bone grafted into the area. This ensures the implant will be adequately supported when it is placed in the jaw.

How many implants do I need?

Most frequently, one implant per missing tooth is placed. Because many of the larger teeth in the back of your jaws have two or three roots, the most common approach is to replace missing back teeth with larger implants.  In areas where multiple teeth are missing, implants can be placed in strategic locations and a bridge fabricated.  Dr. Fatehi, in conjunction with your general dentist, will determine the number of implants and their location to be placed.