The Dental Implant Process: Surgery, Healing and the Final Tooth
If someone has told you that a dental implant is an option, the next question is usually what the treatment actually involves, and in what order. Dental implant surgery will be personalized to you, but there is a general overview of what you can expect your dentist, oral surgeon, periodontist or prosthodontist to do (Cleveland Clinic). The stages below follow that overview in order.
The general order of events
In that overview, the dentist, oral surgeon, periodontist or prosthodontist places the implant surgically, gives you time to heal, and then attaches the abutment and the final crown, bridge or denture (Cleveland Clinic).
What happens during the surgery
The surgeon gives you anesthesia, a medicine that will numb your gums, and you shouldn't feel any pain during surgery. After surgery, it is normal to have slight discomfort and swelling, and over-the-counter pain relievers can help ease these symptoms (Cleveland Clinic).
Recovery after the surgery — what the days afterwards look like, and when to call — is covered separately in recovering from implant surgery and when to call.
Healing and osseointegration
During the healing phase, your jawbone should fuse to the dental implant, a process called osseointegration (American Dental Association (MouthHealthy)). This process can take anywhere from three to nine months, depending on how quickly your body heals, and the first round of healing takes about one week (Cleveland Clinic).
Temporary solutions while the implant heals
While the implant heals, your provider may fit you with a temporary solution, and if your implant is near the front of your mouth, your dentist will make a temporary tooth for you to wear until you heal (Cleveland Clinic).
The abutment and the final restoration
Once the implant heals, your dentist can attach the abutment and the final restoration — a crown, a bridge or a denture. This usually takes about one hour, and may require a second minor surgery (Cleveland Clinic).
What to ask at each stage
None of this tells you what your own treatment will involve, how many visits it will take or what it will cost. Those are questions for whoever is planning the treatment, and the general sequence above is a reasonable place to start asking: which stages apply in your case, who would carry out each one, how long the healing phase is expected to take, whether a temporary tooth is part of the plan, and what the full course of treatment would cost.
Whether an implant is a suitable option in the first place is a different question, and it is covered in who can get dental implants.
Our office is at 147 Main St, 2nd Floor, Lodi, NJ 07644. We have a dental implants page on our site, and a first-visit page.
Sources
- Cleveland Clinic. "Dental Implants." Updated 2026-06-11. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/10903-dental-implants
- American Dental Association (MouthHealthy). "Implants." https://www.mouthhealthy.org/all-topics-a-z/implants
