Dental implants are placed in two phases. The first phase of treatment is the surgical positioning of the implant posts below the gum line. We make a small incision in the soft tissue. Then, the implant is placed. A protective cap is attached to the top of the implant to protect the post as it fuses with the supportive structures. This process will take between three and six months. Once the implants fuse with the supportive tissues, you’ll return to our office for the second phase of treatment where we’ll design and place your permanent replacement tooth or teeth. Many Austin patients receive a temporary restoration until their final implant retained prosthetic is crafted, but these final replacement teeth will be permanently fixed to your implant posts.

The number of dental implants you need will depend largely on the number of teeth you’re replacing. Typically, we recommend the following:

• One implant – to replace one tooth or two consecutive teeth, we can often attach a crown or two connected crowns to a single dental implant post.
• Two implants – for several consecutive missing teeth, we can use an implant to support each end of a fixed bridge restoration. For very small partial dentures, we may also be able to support the prosthetic with just two implants.
• Three or more implants – most partial and full dentures will need to be supported with three to six dental implant posts. In rare cases, we may need to place more than six implant posts.

Your dental implant supported restoration is built to last. Because implant retained prosthetics closely mimic the natural form and function of the smile, patients can keep these replacement teeth for a decade or longer with proper care. In fact, most patients retain their natural looking, feeling, and functioning implant supported restoration for the rest of their lifetime.