The Dental Implant Procedure, Step by Step

Oct 1

11 min read

Most people picture a dental implant as one big operation. It isn't. The dental implant procedure is a series of six stages spread over roughly 3 to 9 months for most single implants, and the surgery itself usually takes 1 to 2 hours per implant under local anaesthetic.

Most of that time is healing, not chair time. Your jawbone needs a few months to grow around the implant before a tooth can go on top.

Below, our clinical team at Bradbury Dental Surgery walks through the dental implants procedure step by step: what happens at each visit, how long each stage takes, and what changes if you need an extraction or a bone graft first.

What Is a Dental Implant Procedure?

A dental implant procedure is a multi-stage treatment that replaces a missing tooth root with a small titanium post placed in your jawbone. Once the bone has fused to the post (a process called osseointegration), a connector called an abutment and a custom crown, bridge or denture are fitted on top.

You'll usually have somewhere between four and seven appointments across the whole treatment. Only one or two of them involve surgery. If you're curious why the post is almost always titanium, we explain why titanium works so well in the jaw in a separate post.

Is a "Dental Transplant" the Same as an Implant?

No, although plenty of people search for a dental transplant procedure when they mean an implant. A tooth transplant (dentists call it autotransplantation) moves one of your own teeth, often a wisdom tooth or premolar, into a gap somewhere else in your mouth.

It works best while the donor tooth's root is still forming. So it's mostly used for teenagers and young adults. For almost every adult we see at our Bradbury clinic, the realistic choices are an implant, a bridge or a denture. Our guide to replacing missing teeth with dental implants compares those options side by side.

The Dental Implants Procedure at a Glance

Here's the whole treatment on one page. Your own plan may skip stage 2, or combine stages 3 and 5 into a single visit.

Stage	What happens	Typical time	Anaesthesia
1. Consultation and 3D scan	Exam, x-rays, CBCT scan, health and medication review	45-60 minutes	None
2. Extraction or bone graft (if needed)	Failing tooth removed, bone rebuilt or socket preserved	30-90 minutes, then 3-6 months healing	Local
3. Implant placement	Titanium post placed in the jawbone	1-2 hours per implant	Local, sedation optional
4. Healing (osseointegration)	Bone grows onto the implant surface	About 3 months lower jaw, 4-6 months upper	None
5. Uncovering and abutment	Implant exposed (two-stage only), abutment fitted, impressions or scan taken	20-45 minutes	Local
6. Crown, bridge or denture	Final tooth fitted and bite adjusted	30-60 minutes	Usually none

Step 1: Consultation, 3D Scans and a Health Check

Step one is a full assessment of your teeth, gums, jawbone and general health, usually with a 3D scan. This visit decides whether an implant suits you and how many stages you'll need.

A cone beam CT (CBCT) scan shows the height and width of your bone, plus the exact position of the nerve in your lower jaw and the sinus above your upper teeth. It's a big step up from a flat x-ray. You can read more about how we use dental x-rays and imaging in Campbelltown.

In our experience at Bradbury Dental Surgery, the most common reason an implant plan gets paused isn't a lack of bone. It's gum disease we pick up at this first visit. Inflamed gums need to be settled with gum disease treatment before anything is placed, because the same bacteria can attack the bone around an implant.

We'll also ask about:

Smoking. A 2022 review of about 150,000 implants found implants in smokers had about 2.4 times the odds of failing (Mustapha et al., Medicina). We cover the wider picture in how smoking affects your teeth and gums.
Diabetes. Well-controlled diabetes usually isn't a barrier. Poorly controlled blood sugar slows healing, so we may check in with your GP first. Our post on dental precautions for diabetic patients explains why.
Osteoporosis medicines. Bisphosphonates (such as alendronate) and denosumab carry a small risk of a bone-healing problem called medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw after oral surgery. Tell us even if you stopped years ago, as bisphosphonates stay in bone for a long time.
Blood thinners. Don't stop these on your own. If anything needs adjusting, we'll work it out with your GP.

That medication check gets skipped in a lot of online guides. It matters more than people expect, because implant patients tend to be older, which is exactly the group most likely to be taking these medicines.

Step 2: Extraction and Bone Grafting for Dental Implants (If Needed)

Not everyone needs this step. You'll only have it if a failing tooth has to come out first, or if there isn't enough bone to hold an implant securely.

Bone grafting for dental implants adds bone, or a bone substitute, where the jaw has shrunk. Once a tooth is lost, the bone that held it starts to shrink, and the socket can lose up to half its width within the first year. That's why a tooth that's been missing for a decade is more likely to need a graft than one removed last month. Our post on bone loss in teeth explains how that happens.

There are two common approaches:

Socket preservation. Graft material goes into the socket straight after a tooth extraction. The implant usually follows 3 to 4 months later.
Ridge grafting. A larger graft rebuilds a jaw that has already shrunk. Expect around 4 to 6 months of healing before the implant goes in.

How Soon After an Extraction Can an Implant Be Placed?

Anywhere from the same day to around 6 months later. It depends on infection, how much bone is left and which tooth it is.

Immediate placement: the implant goes in at the same appointment as the extraction. This suits a healthy socket with solid surrounding bone, often a front tooth.
Early placement: about 6 to 8 weeks after the extraction, once the gum has closed over.
Delayed placement: 3 to 6 months later, usually when there was infection or a graft is needed.

Same-day placement sounds appealing, and in the right mouth it's a good option. But we'd rather wait 8 weeks than place an implant into an infected socket.

What Is a Sinus Lift?

A sinus lift adds bone under the maxillary sinus (the air space sitting just above your upper back teeth) when the bone there is too thin for an implant. Depending on how much bone is needed, the implant goes in at the same time or after 6 to 9 months of healing. This may be done at the practice or by referral to an oral surgeon, based on how complex your case is.

Step 3: Implant Placement Surgery

On surgery day, a small titanium post is placed into your jawbone through a small opening in the gum. For a single implant, the appointment usually runs 1 to 2 hours.

Here's what happens in the chair:

Local anaesthetic numbs the area.
A small cut in the gum exposes the bone underneath.
The site is prepared with a series of drills, each slightly wider than the last, cooled with water the whole time.
The implant is screwed into the bone to a measured depth.
A cover screw or a healing cap goes on top, and the gum is stitched.

Some cases use a 3D-printed surgical guide made from your CBCT scan. It works like a stencil, so the implant sits exactly where it was planned. You'll feel pressure and vibration during the drilling, but you shouldn't feel sharp pain while the area is numb.

Are You Awake for a Dental Implant?

Yes, in most cases. Single implants are usually placed under local anaesthetic alone, the same type of numbing used for a filling, just more of it.

If dental visits make you anxious, IV sedation (sleep dentistry) is worth raising at your consult. You stay conscious but deeply relaxed, and many people remember very little of the appointment afterwards. General anaesthetic in hospital is generally kept for complex full-arch cases.

Is Dental Implant Surgery a Major Operation?

For a single implant, no. Healthdirect describes it as a minor operation, and it's done in the dental chair, not in hospital. For many patients it's less involved than having a wisdom tooth removed.

Step 4: Healing and Osseointegration

Osseointegration is the stage where your jawbone grows directly onto the implant's surface and locks it in place. It typically takes about 3 months in the lower jaw and 4 to 6 months in the upper jaw.

Why the difference? Lower jawbone is denser, so it grips the implant sooner. So two patients who had surgery in the same week can be ready for their crowns months apart. That's normal, not a sign anything's wrong.

You won't be left with a visible gap. For front teeth, we'll fit a temporary tooth, usually a small removable plate, a clear clip-in retainer or a temporary bridge. Whatever you wear, don't chew directly on the implant site during this time, even if it feels fine.

Step 5: Uncovering and Fitting the Abutment

The abutment is a small connector that screws into the implant and holds your final tooth. How it's fitted depends on whether your implant was placed in one stage or two.

	One-stage implant	Two-stage implant
During healing	Healing cap sits through the gum from day one	Implant is buried under the gum
Second procedure	Not needed	Short "uncovering" visit under local anaesthetic
Gum healing after uncovering	Not applicable	About 2 weeks around a healing cap
Often chosen when	Bone is firm and no graft was placed	Bone is softer or a graft went in at the same time

Why bury an implant at all? A buried implant is protected from chewing forces and bacteria while it heals. Once the abutment is on, we take impressions or a digital scan so the lab can make your final crown.

Step 6: Fitting Your Crown, Bridge or Denture

The last step is attaching your final tooth or teeth to the abutment, usually 2 to 3 weeks after the impressions are taken. What goes on top depends on how many teeth you're replacing:

One tooth: a single dental crown, either screwed or cemented onto the abutment.
Two or three teeth in a row: an implant-supported dental bridge, often on two implants.
A whole arch: an implant-retained denture that clips on, or a fixed bridge. We cover clip-on options on our dentures page.

We check your bite carefully at this visit. An implant has no ligament cushioning it the way a natural tooth does, so a crown that's even slightly high takes more force than it should.

And the care doesn't stop there. An implant can't get decay, but the gum and bone around it can still become infected (peri-implantitis). Regular check-ups and cleans are how that gets caught early.

How Long Does the Whole Dental Implant Process Take?

From consult to final crown, most single implants take 3 to 9 months. Cases that need a sinus lift or a large graft can run past a year.

The tooth implant process is mostly waiting for bone to heal, so the timeline depends on when the implant can go in and which jaw it's in:

Scenario	When the implant goes in	When the crown goes on	Typical total
Immediate placement, healthy socket	Same day as the extraction	3-6 months after placement	3-6 months
Early placement	6-8 weeks after the extraction	3-6 months after placement	5-8 months
Delayed, with socket graft	3-4 months after the extraction	3-6 months after placement	6-10 months
Sinus lift (upper back teeth)	Same day as the lift, or 6-9 months after	4-6 months after placement	6-15 months

What about same-day teeth? Immediate loading, where a temporary tooth goes on the day of surgery, is possible for some front teeth and full-arch cases. The temporary is kept out of heavy bite contact while the bone heals underneath, and the final tooth still follows months later.

Does the Implant Teeth Operation Hurt? Recovery Day by Day

You shouldn't feel sharp pain during the implant teeth operation, because the area is fully numbed. Afterwards, most people have 2 to 4 days of soreness and swelling that settles with over-the-counter pain relief.

Time after surgery	What's normal	What helps
Day 1	Some oozing, a dull ache as the numbness wears off	Firm pressure on gauze, cold packs 20 minutes on and off, cool soft food, no rinsing
Days 2-3	Swelling peaks around 48 to 72 hours, possibly some bruising	Pain relief as advised, warm salt-water rinses, sleeping with your head raised
Days 4-7	Swelling settles, back to most normal activities	Soft food, gentle brushing near the site
Days 7-14	Stitches dissolve or come out	Normal diet, chewing on the other side
Weeks 2-12+	Little or no discomfort while the bone keeps integrating	Avoid biting hard food on the implant

Most people are back at a desk job within a day or two. Skip heavy exercise for about 3 days, since raising your heart rate can restart bleeding and swelling. A practical tip we often give: book surgery on a Thursday or Friday, so the worst of the swelling lands on the weekend.

Call us if bleeding won't stop after an hour of firm pressure, swelling is still increasing after day 3, you develop a fever, the implant feels loose, or numbness hasn't worn off by the next day. Outside our regular hours, our emergency dentist page explains what to do.

What Changes for Full-Arch Implants?

The same stages apply, but they're compressed. Instead of one implant per tooth, a whole arch of teeth is usually fixed onto 4 to 6 implants, and many patients leave on the day with temporary teeth.

We explain that treatment in detail in our guide to All-on-4 dental implants. If your whole mouth needs rebuilding, not just one arch, our full mouth rehabilitation page covers how those plans are staged.

Medicare, Health Funds and Item Numbers

Medicare doesn't cover dental implants for most Australians. Private health extras usually pay something under major dental, up to your annual limit.

There's one exception worth knowing about. Veterans with a Gold Card, or a White Card for an accepted condition, may be able to claim implants through the Department of Veterans' Affairs, usually with prior approval (healthdirect). Our DVA dental services page explains how that works here.

When you ask your fund for a quote, they'll want the ADA item numbers from your treatment plan. These are the ones you're most likely to see on an implant plan:

ADA item	What it covers
679	Surgical implant guide
684	First stage of a two-stage implant (per implant)
688	One-stage implant (per implant)
691	Second-stage surgery, the "uncovering" (per implant)
661	Fitting of the implant abutment
671 / 672	Crown on an implant (all-ceramic / porcelain fused to metal)

Source: ADA items listed in the ACT public dental schedule.

In practice, your fund's annual limit usually caps your rebate before the item list does. If you'd like to spread the out-of-pocket amount, our payment plans include Afterpay, Zip and National Dental Plan.

Travelling in from Narellan or Camden? Most of the appointments are short. Only the surgery visit usually runs longer than an hour, which keeps the trips across the Macarthur region manageable.

Ready to Plan Your Own Implant?

Every dental implant procedure starts with the same question: how many of these six stages does your mouth need? That's what the first consult answers. If you're ready to get a missing tooth assessed, learn about our dental implant options in Campbelltown, including how we check bone, gums and health before anything is booked in.

Talk to Our Team

Thinking about an implant, or already been told you need one? As an ADA QIP-accredited practice that has cared for Campbelltown families for over 30 years, Bradbury Dental Surgery assesses implant cases regularly. At the first visit we can usually tell you whether you'll need a graft, how many stages you're looking at and roughly how long the whole thing will take.

Call us on (02) 4628 2151 or book online.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many appointments does a dental implant take?

Most single implants take 4 to 7 appointments: the consult and scan, the surgery, a review or stitch removal, the abutment and impression visit, and the crown fit. An extraction, a graft or a second-stage uncovering adds one or two more.

Can dental implants be claimed on Medicare?

Not for most Australians. Medicare's general dental cover doesn't include implants. Eligible veterans may be covered through DVA with prior approval, and private health extras usually pay something under major dental.

Is a bone graft always needed for a dental implant?

No. Many people have enough bone, especially if the tooth was lost recently. Grafts are more common when a tooth has been missing for years, after an infection, or for upper back teeth sitting close to the sinus.

Can I go back to work the day after implant surgery?

Usually, yes, for desk-based work. Swelling tends to peak on days 2 and 3, so if your job is physical or public-facing, booking surgery just before a weekend helps.

What happens if an implant doesn't fuse with the bone?

It's uncommon, but it does happen, more often in smokers and in people with poorly controlled diabetes. The implant is removed and the site is left to heal, and in many cases a new implant can be placed later.