A price given before a scan is a guess with a number on it. Quoting first and discovering the bone afterwards is how a patient ends up being told, with a deposit already paid, that the plan has changed.
01Consultation and scan
About 45 minutes. We take a CBCT scan, which shows the bone in three dimensions rather than the flat picture an ordinary x-ray gives. It is the difference between planning and guessing.
02The plan, in writing
What is possible, what it involves, how long it takes and what it costs, on paper before you decide anything. Including the option of not having treatment, where that is reasonable.
03Placement
Usually under local anaesthetic, usually an hour or two. Most people work the next day, and we will say so plainly rather than overstate the recovery.
04Healing
Three to six months while the implant integrates with the bone. You are not without a tooth during this time; a temporary is fitted where the site allows one.
05The permanent crown
Made to match the teeth either side, fitted, then reviewed. After that it is an ordinary check-up and hygiene appointment like any other tooth.
The waiting
Three to six months, and it is not negotiable
Osseointegration is bone growing onto the implant surface and locking it in place. It takes 12 to 24 weeks, longer in the upper jaw and longer again where a graft has been done. You are not without a tooth for that period: a temporary goes in wherever the site allows one. But the permanent crown waits, and no amount of money moves it.
This is the part left out of the adverts, and it is the part worth knowing before you start rather than after.
Asked often
Does it hurt?
Placement is done under local anaesthetic and is usually less uncomfortable than an extraction. Afterwards most people describe an ache for two or three days managed with ordinary painkillers. A small number find it harder than that, and we would rather you heard both halves of that sentence from us.
How long does the whole thing take?
Three to six months from placement to the permanent crown, because the implant has to integrate with the bone and that cannot be hurried. If grafting is needed first, add several months to that. Anyone offering you a finished result in a fortnight is describing something other than what we do.
How long do implants last?
Published long-term studies report success rates around 95 to 98 per cent at ten years. That is a population figure rather than a promise about you, and it depends heavily on cleaning, smoking and whether gum disease is under control. We will be specific about your own risk factors at the consultation.
Am I too old for this?
Age itself is rarely the deciding factor. General health, medication, smoking and bone volume matter far more, and we assess all four before recommending anything. We do decline treatment where the risk is not justified, and we will explain why rather than simply saying no.
Why a CBCT scan rather than an ordinary x-ray?
A standard dental x-ray is a flat image. A CBCT scan shows the bone in three dimensions, including how close the nerve and the sinus are to where the implant would go. Planning an implant without one is possible and we do not think it is good practice.
What does it cost?
We publish ranges rather than a headline figure, because a single implant with an uncomplicated site and a full arch with grafting are not the same product. You get a written cost for your own plan at the consultation, before you are asked to commit to anything.