Dental implants are designed to provide a foundation for replacement teeth that look, feel, and function like natural teeth. The person who has lost teeth regains the ability to eat virtually anything and can smile with confidence, knowing that teeth appear natural and that facial contours will be preserved.
The implants themselves are tiny titanium posts that are surgically placed into the jawbone where teeth are missing. These metal anchors act as tooth root substitutes. The bone bonds with the titanium, creating a strong foundation for artificial teeth. Small posts that protrude through the gums are then attached to the implant. These posts provide stable anchors for artificial replacement teeth.
Am I a Candidate?
If you are considering implants, we must first examine your mouth and medical history. If your mouth is not ideal for implants, ways of improving outcome, such as bone grafting, may be recommended.
Immediate vs. Delayed Implant Placement
When you lose a tooth, the question is rarely whether to place an implant - it is when. Some patients are ready to receive an implant the same day the tooth comes out. Others are better served by allowing the site to heal first.
Immediate placement means the implant is placed at the same visit as the extraction, in the socket the tooth just left behind. It saves a surgery, shortens the overall timeline, and helps preserve the bone and gum architecture around the site. We consider it when the socket walls are intact, the surrounding bone is healthy and dense enough to lock the implant firmly into place at placement (good primary stability), there is no active infection, and the esthetic-zone anatomy is favorable.
Delayed placement means we extract the tooth first, allow the site to heal - often with a bone graft - and return in a few months to place the implant into mature, well-healed bone. We prefer this path when there is significant bone loss, an active infection that needs to resolve, compromised or missing socket walls, insufficient bone volume or quality for stable placement, or certain medical considerations that warrant a more conservative approach.
Even with thorough planning and a CBCT scan, sometimes a case planned as immediate has to convert to delayed once the tooth is out and we can see the socket directly. A buccal plate fracture during extraction, hidden infection, or thin or missing bone walls can all change the picture in real time. When that happens, your surgeon will place a bone graft and have you return in a few months for the implant. It is not a setback - it is a judgment call made in your long-term interest, because an implant that integrates into healthy, well-supported bone lasts decades, while one rushed into a compromised site rarely does.
