How a dental implant is placed, stage by stage — from the first 3D scan through healing to the final crown.
A dental implant replaces the root of a missing tooth with a titanium post, which the jawbone grows onto over several months before a custom crown is attached. It is done in stages, and most of the timeline is healing rather than appointments.
At American Dental Group every stage — planning, surgery, and the final restoration — happens in-house in West Covina, placed by Dr. Homan Hanasab, a board-certified periodontist. You are not referred to a separate surgical office partway through.
A clinical exam plus a 3D CT scan measuring bone volume and density and mapping the position of nerves and sinuses. Every implant position is planned digitally before surgery day. You leave with a written plan and an itemized estimate.
If the tooth is still in place, it is removed. Where the socket needs support, a graft may be placed at the same time to preserve the ridge rather than letting it collapse. In many cases an implant can go in during the same visit as the extraction.
The site is numbed, a small opening is made in the bone, and the titanium post is positioned according to the digital plan. The gum is closed over or around it. This appointment is usually shorter than patients expect.
Over roughly three to six months, bone grows onto the implant surface and locks it in place. A temporary crown or bridge normally fills the gap meanwhile. You will come in for brief checks to confirm it is integrating.
Once integration is confirmed, a small connector called an abutment is fitted to the implant, and records or a digital scan are taken so the final restoration matches your bite and the shade of the teeth beside it.
The custom crown is seated and adjusted until the bite is right. From that point it is cared for like a natural tooth: brushing, flossing, and regular check-ups.
The surgical site is fully numbed with local anesthetic, and sedation options are available for patients who would rather not be aware of the procedure. If dental anxiety is what has kept you from treating a missing tooth, say so at the consultation — see our page on dental anxiety and sedation.
A single implant generally runs three to six months from placement to final crown, most of it osseointegration. Bone grafting adds healing time before placement. Full-arch cases such as All-on-4 follow the same arc but usually attach a fixed temporary bridge the same day, so you are not without teeth while healing. Your exact timeline is mapped out once we can see your scan.
Expect swelling and soreness for a few days and a soft-food diet for one to two weeks. Detailed instructions are on our post-op care page, including what is normal and what warrants a call.
Check whether you are a candidate, compare it against the other ways to replace a missing tooth, or read what shapes the investment in our West Covina implant cost guide.
The placement itself should not hurt. The site is fully numbed, and sedation is available if you would rather not be aware of the procedure. Most patients describe the surgery as less difficult than the extraction that preceded it. Afterwards expect soreness and swelling for a few days, usually managed with over-the-counter medication and ice.
For a single implant, plan on roughly three to six months from placement to final crown. Most of that is osseointegration, the period where the implant fuses to the bone, and it is waiting rather than appointments. Full-arch cases follow a similar arc but often deliver a fixed temporary set of teeth the same day the implants are placed.
Usually not in a visible area. A temporary crown, a temporary bridge, or a fixed provisional arch is normally fitted so you are not left with a gap while the implant integrates. We confirm what applies to your case at the planning stage.
Typically a consultation with a 3D scan, the surgical appointment, one or two brief healing checks, an appointment for records and impressions, and the fitting of the final restoration. Extractions and grafting, if needed, are often combined with the surgical visit rather than added as separate ones.
It is the process where bone grows directly onto the surface of the titanium implant, locking it in place. It is what makes an implant behave like a tooth root rather than sit in the jaw like a screw in a wall, and it is the reason the timeline includes several months of healing.
Schedule a consultation with our expert dental team today.