The Dental Implants Timeline

A dental implants timeline relies entirely on the scope of dental services being performed. Preliminary procedures, such as bone grafting or a sinus lift, as well as your body’s own capacity to recover from surgery can affect the ultimate duration. It is important to keep in mind that every patient’s needs are different, so the dental implants timeline can vary significantly from patient to patient. Dr. Stephen J. Malki can provide you with a detailed outline of your treatment plan after a thorough examination at our River Edge, NJ, office. 

Your Dental Implants Timeline

Phase 1: Preliminary Procedures

Preliminary procedures, such as sinus lifts or bone grafts, are the first phase of treatment for many patients. These procedures are usually required for patients who have been missing one or more teeth for an extended period of time and have suffered extensive bone loss as a result. Both of these procedures are performed in our office and may take a couple hours to complete, depending on your individual bone structure.

Recovery from Preliminary Procedures

Recovery from a bone graft or a sinus lift may take anywhere from three to five months. During this time, the grafts will fuse with your existing bone. Dr. Malki will monitor this process carefully before approving you for dental implant surgery.

Phase 2: Dental Implant Surgery

If preliminary procedures were not needed, dental implant surgery will be the first phase of treatment. Dental implant surgery takes place in our office under general anesthesia. The procedure may take up to several hours depending on the number of teeth you are missing. Dental implant surgery involves making incisions in the gums, creating holes in the jawbone, and placing the implants into those holes before closing up the incisions.

It is important to keep in mind that every patient’s needs are different, so the dental implants timeline can vary significantly from patient to patient.

Recovery from Dental Implant Surgery

As with the bone grafting and sinus lift procedures, recovery from dental implant surgery is lengthy. Most patients need approximately three to six months to heal. During this time, the dental implants fuse with your jawbone in a process called osseointegration. Dr. Malki will monitor your progress regularly throughout this time and only upon his approval will patients move on to the next phase.

Phase 3: Second Implant Surgery

This phase involves only minor surgery to trim away excess gum tissue from around the implant abutments. This exposes the abutments so we can take impressions and attach your final restorations.

Recovery from Second Surgery

Recovery from this second surgery takes about a month. After your gums have healed, you can move on to the last phase of treatment.

Phase 4: Placement of Final Restorations

The impressions that were taken during your second implant surgery will be sent to the dental lab across from our office. The lab will fabricate your custom restorations, and once they are ready, Dr. Malki will attach the restoration to your implant abutments. After this last phase, you will have a fully functional and natural-looking smile.