What you can expect

Dental implant surgery is usually an outpatient surgery performed in stages

Your damaged tooth is removed.

Your jawbone is prepared for surgery, a process that may involve bone grafting.

After your jawbone heals, your oral surgeon places the dental implant metal post in your jawbone.

You go through a healing period that may last several months.

Your oral surgeon places the abutment — an extension of the implant metal post — followed by your new artificial tooth crown).

The entire process can take many months from start to finish — three to nine months and sometimes longer. Much of that time is devoted to healing and waiting for the growth of new bone in your jaw.

When bone grafting is required

If your jawbone isn’t thick enough or is too soft, you may need bone grafting before you can have dental implant surgery. That’s because the powerful chewing action of your mouth exerts great pressure on your bone, and if it can’t support the implant, the surgery likely would fail. A bone graft can create a more solid base for the implant.

With bone grafting, a piece of bone is removed from another part of your jaw or your body — your hip, for example — and transplanted to your jawbone. It may take up to nine months for the transplanted bone to grow enough new bone to support a dental implant. In some cases, you may need only minor bone grafting, which can be done at the same time as the implant surgery. The condition of your jawbone determines how you proceed.

Placing the dental implant

During surgery to place the dental implant, your oral surgeon makes a cut to open your gum and expose the bone. Holes are drilled into the bone where the dental implant metal post will be placed. Since the post will serve as the tooth root, it’s implanted deep into the bone.

At this point, you’ll still have a gap where your tooth is missing. Usually, a type of partial, temporary denture can be placed for appearance. You can remove this denture for cleaning and while you sleep.

Waiting for bone growth

Once the metal implant post is placed in your jawbone, osseointegration (oss-ee-oh-in-tuh-GRAY-shun) begins. During this process, the jawbone grows into and unites with the surface of the dental implant. This process, which can take up to six months, helps provide a solid base for your new artificial tooth — just as roots do for your natural teeth