Are Dental Implants Worth It? What the Process Actually Involves

A [dental implant](/dental-implants/) is a titanium post placed in the jawbone to replace a missing tooth's root, with a crown fitted on top to replace the visible tooth.

It's one of three usual answers to a missing tooth — the others being a bridge, which uses the neighbouring teeth for support, and a denture, which is removable. None of the three is automatically the right one; which fits depends on how many teeth are missing, the state of the teeth and bone around the gap, and what you'd rather deal with day to day.

What an implant does that the alternatives don't

A bridge replaces the visible tooth but relies on the teeth either side of the gap, which usually need to be prepared to support it — sound tooth structure is reduced on teeth that were otherwise healthy. A denture doesn't touch the neighbouring teeth at all, but it sits on the gum rather than replacing the root, and it comes out.

An implant replaces the root as well as the tooth, and it stands on its own — nothing is prepared or shortened next door, and there's nothing to take out at night. The bone around an implant is also stimulated by chewing in roughly the way it was by the original tooth root, which is not true of a bridge or a denture.

What it doesn't do

It takes longer than the alternatives — usually months, not weeks, because the bone needs time to fuse to the implant before a crown is fitted. It costs more up front than a bridge or a denture. And it needs enough healthy bone to anchor into, which not everybody has without further treatment first. None of that makes it the wrong choice; it makes it a choice worth weighing properly rather than defaulting to.

The process, in outline

• Consultation and assessment — your medical history, the state of the gap, and the bone underneath, usually including a scan.
• Placement — the implant post is placed in the jawbone, under local anaesthetic.
• Healing — a period for the bone to fuse to the implant before it's loaded with a crown. This is the stage that takes the most time, and it varies by person.
• The crown — once healing is confirmed, a crown is made and fitted on top, matched to your other teeth.

That's a general outline, not a timetable — how many appointments, how long each stage takes and what it costs depends on your own mouth, and is a consultation question rather than something a page like this can answer for you.

Who it isn't right for

Not everyone is a good candidate without further work — insufficient bone, gum disease that hasn't been treated, or certain medical conditions can all affect the plan. That's exactly what the assessment is for, and being told an implant isn't the right route yet, or at all, is a legitimate outcome of one.

Read more about dental implants