From consultation to final appointment, most implants will take between six to 12 months to complete. Each person’s jawbone quality and quantity,  treatment plan, and oral and overall health needs can impact your full treatment time. Now, some patients can wear their final implants and crowns beginning on the day their titanium screws are implanted. Patients are encouraged to eat a soft diet, and avoiding hard, crunchy foods, for up to 12 months to create optimum healing allowing the implants to fuse into the jawbone.

The short answer is “yes,” and that dental implants can be a more comfortable, long-lasting option to dentures. Additionally, some people choose to have implant-supported dentures that can be a more cost-effective alternative to implant-supported porcelain crowns. Dr. Duffy will be happy to discuss which options are available to you at your consultation.

Like many dental procedures, dental implant procedures are usually performed under local anesthetic—and our goal is to help you stay relaxed, comfortable and pain free throughout your appointments. In addition to local anesthetics, we offer conscious oral sedation or nitrous oxide as requested. Following your procedure, you may feel some pain or discomfort in your mouth and jaw. We can usually help you manage this with over-the-counter painkillers. We also provide dietary guidelines for you for throughout your healing process.

Your implants are designed to last a lifetime. While you will never get a cavity in them, they are as sensitive to gum health as natural teeth. It is essential that you maintain good oral routines (brushing, flossing, and/or using a Waterpik®) and attend your regular dental appointments in order to care not only for your implants, but any remaining natural teeth that you have.