Dental implants are the best tooth replacement option available. They look and function like your natural teeth, so you can smile with confidence and eat all the foods you used to enjoy. The main disadvantage of dental implants is that sometimes the dental implant process takes a long time. How long?

Rancho Mirage implant dentist Dr. Rod Strober will evaluate your oral health and decide what’s the right timetable for your implants. Here are some of the possibilities.

Best Case Scenario: Dental Implants Today

Sometimes, dental implants can be placed immediately. This depends on many factors. First, although you may have a tooth extracted, overall, your oral health must be good. You should be free of gum disease and have good bone density.

It’s actually common to get the dental implant placed at the time you have your tooth extracted. In fact, many people can get an attractive dental crown placed on the dental implant immediately. This depends on the implant attaching securely to the jawbone. We often can’t know this until the day of surgery. Then Rancho Mirage implant dentist Dr. Strober will evaluate the implant to see if it’s secure enough to support a crown. CEREC lets us make a custom dental crown that day, giving us additional flexibility for getting you a full replacement tooth on the same day.

Many people who replace an entire arch of teeth with All-on-X can get their replacement teeth on the same day. That’s because the dental bridge helps support the four, six, or eight implants to make them more stable.

Waiting for Osseointegration: 3-6 Months

If you are not a candidate for an immediately placed dental implant, Rancho Mirage implant dentist Dr. Strober may want to wait before placing the crown atop your dental implant. We’re waiting for your bone to grow around the dental implant. This step is essential to ensuring the benefits of dental implants: your ability to eat your favorite foods and the long-term life of dental implants depends on your bone growing around the dental implant to secure it.

For some people, this may take only about three months, but six is more common.

Replacing Provisional Restorations

If Rancho Mirage implant dentist Dr. Strober places a dental crown or bridge at the time of your implant surgery, it will normally be a provisional restoration. This looks attractive and functions normally, but might not be as durable as your final restoration.

We’ll place your final restoration when your dental implants finish integrating with your jawbone.

Periodontal Disease Treatment: ? Months

If you have periodontal disease (gum disease), Rancho Mirage implant dentist Dr. Strober will likely recommend treatment before you can get dental implants. Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss, and it’s also the leading cause of dental implant failure. Having untreated gum disease sets your implants up for failure.

The length of time it takes to treat your periodontal disease depends on the severity of the disease, how well you follow our instructions and individual factors that are hard to predict. Count on this taking several months.

Bone Graft: 3+ Months

If you don’t have enough bone at the implant site, Rancho Mirage implant dentist Dr. Strober may recommend a bone graft to help support your dental implant. In some cases, we can perform a bone graft at the time of your dental implant surgery. However, other times, we will have to perform bone graft as a separate procedure.

Gum disease is a common reason why people need a bone graft. If you have periodontitis, both oral bacteria and your body erode the bone around your teeth. This is a common cause of tooth loss, and it must be reversed before dental implants can attach securely.

Another common reason why people don’t have enough bone is just that they lost their teeth in the past. Once you lose your teeth, your body sees the bone that used to support them as unnecessary. It begins removing it, and there may not be enough to support dental implants.

The amount of time it takes for bone grafts to heal depends on many factors. However, you should count on at least three months for this stage.

Results Can Last a Lifetime

Some people can get dental implants immediately, while others might have to wait several months. The good news is that, even if the dental implant procedure may take a long time, the results last much longer. Dental implants have been proven to last several decades–up to 50 years!–and in theory, they can last forever as long as they are properly cared for.

Ready for Dental Implants in Rancho Mirage?

Have you decided that dental implants might be right for you? If so, let implant dentist Dr. Rod Strober help you enjoy a smooth dental implant procedure and long-lasting results.

If you would like to learn how soon you can get your dental implants, please call (760) 832-7915 or use our online form to request an appointment at Country Club Dentistry, located near the Rancho Mirage Country Club.