After the abutment is placed, your gums must heal for one or two weeks before the artificial tooth can be attached. Once your gums heal, you’ll have more impressions made of your mouth and remaining teeth. These impressions are used to make the crown — your realistic-looking artificial tooth. The crown can’t be placed until your jawbone is strong enough to support use of the new tooth

You and your dental specialist can choose from two main types of artificial teeth

A removable implant prosthesis. This type is similar to a conventional removable denture. It contains artificial white teeth surrounded by pink plastic gum. It’s mounted on a metal frame that’s attached to the implant abutment, and it snaps securely into place. It can be easily removed for repair or daily cleaning. It’s often a good choice when several teeth in the lower jaw are replaced, mainly because it’s more affordable than multiple individual dental implants and yet more secure than a traditional denture

A fixed implant prosthesis. In this type, an artificial tooth is permanently screwed or cemented onto an individual implant abutment. You can’t remove the tooth for cleaning or during sleep. If affordability isn’t a concern, you can opt to replace several missing teeth this way. Each crown is attached to its own dental implant

After surgery

Whether you have dental implant surgery in one stage or multiple stages, you may experience some of the typical discomforts associated with any type of dental surgery, such as

Swelling of your gums and face

Bruising of your skin and gums

Pain at the implant site

Minor bleeding

If swelling, discomfort or any other problem gets worse in the days after surgery, contact your oral surgeon. You may need pain medications or antibiotics

After each stage of surgery, you may need to eat soft foods while the surgical site heals — as long as 10 to 14 days. Typically, your surgeon will use stitches that dissolve on their own. If your stitches aren’t self-dissolving, your doctor removes them in about 10 days