Single implant and crown
The most conservative replacement for one missing tooth: nothing is cut off the neighbouring teeth. Placement takes 45–90 minutes under local anaesthetic, followed by three to six months of healing before the crown is made.
Dental care
Dental Implants in Istanbul
An implant is a titanium screw placed into the jawbone; over three to six months the bone grows onto it, and a crown, bridge or full arch is then fixed on top. It replaces the root, which is why it does not depend on the teeth either side.
- Bone healing before the crown
- 3–6 months
- Single implant placement
- 45–90 min
- Function with care
- 10–15 years+
Who is a good candidate
The deciding factors are how much bone there is, how good its quality is, the state of the gums, and how well any general condition is controlled.
- One missing tooth, with healthy neighbours that should not be cut down for a bridge
- Several missing teeth in the same arch, or a full arch that is loose or no longer wearable
- Enough bone — or bone that can be rebuilt with a graft or a sinus lift
- Controlled diabetes, no smoking or a willingness to stop, and no recent radiotherapy or antiresorptive treatment to the jaw
Smoking is the single most useful thing to change: it roughly doubles the risk of an implant failing to integrate, and the effect follows how much is smoked. Uncontrolled diabetes affects healing in a similar way.
Single tooth, several teeth, or a full arch
The number and position of implants is decided by the bone that exists and by how the bite loads it — not by how many teeth are missing.
Implant-supported bridge
For several missing teeth in a row, two or more implants carry a bridge, so the teeth at either end stay untouched. Fewer implants than teeth replaced — which is why the span has to be planned carefully, not extended to save one fixture.
All-on-4 and All-on-6
A full arch fixed on four or six implants, with the rear ones tilted to use the bone that remains and often avoid grafting. A provisional bridge can usually be fitted within a few days; the final one waits for healing. Not everyone qualifies — bone volume, bite and lip support decide.
From the scan to the final crown
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Assessment and planning
A CBCT scan measures bone height and width and shows where the nerve and the sinus sit. If the bone is thin, a graft or a sinus lift is planned first, which adds four to six months before implant placement.
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Placement
Under local anaesthetic, 45–90 minutes for a single implant. Stability is recorded, and any temporary tooth or denture is adjusted so it does not load the implant while it heals.
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Osseointegration
Three to six months in which the implant is left alone. The lower jaw is usually ready sooner than the upper, and grafted sites take longer. Smoking and poorly controlled diabetes slow this stage down.
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Abutment and impression
The gum is shaped around a healing abutment, then a scan or impression is taken and the crown or bridge is made — usually one to three weeks in the laboratory.
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Fitting and maintenance
The restoration is screwed or cemented in place and the bite is checked. Hygiene visits every six months, with an x-ray at one year and then periodically: bone loss around an implant is silent until it is advanced.
What can go wrong
Implant surgery is routine but it is still surgery into bone, and the failure modes are specific. These are the ones that matter.
- Failure to integrate: the implant loosens and has to be removed — more likely in smokers, thin bone and uncontrolled diabetes
- Peri-implantitis, bone loss around a working implant, usually driven by plaque; it does not reverse on its own
- Nerve injury in the lower jaw causing numbness of the lip, chin or tongue — usually temporary, occasionally permanent
- Sinus perforation or graft failure in the upper jaw, which may need a second procedure
- Component fracture, a loosened screw or a chipped crown — repairable, but not free
An implant is not a tooth. It has no ligament, reduced feedback when you bite too hard, and once bone is lost around it, no way to grow it back. Hygiene and a night guard matter more than the brand on the box.
Questions patients ask
Is the surgery painful?
With local anaesthetic you feel pressure and vibration rather than pain. The first two days are bruised and swollen, and ordinary paracetamol or ibuprofen is usually enough; most people are back to desk work the next day.
How long does the whole thing take?
Four to eight months from placement to final crown for a single implant, because the bone sets the timetable. A full arch on All-on-4 can have a fixed provisional within days, with the final bridge at four to six months.
Can I smoke?
Ideally not at all during treatment. Stopping at least a week before placement and for about eight weeks after measurably improves the odds of integration; smoking afterwards raises the long-term risk of bone loss around the implant.
What if I do not have enough bone?
Bone can be added — particulated graft with a membrane for width, a block graft for larger defects, or a sinus lift for the upper back jaw. It is a separate procedure with its own healing time, and it is planned from the scan rather than discovered during surgery.
Send your panoramic x-ray
A recent panoramic x-ray or CBCT, plus a note of which teeth are missing, is enough to say whether grafting is likely, roughly how many implants, and how long the plan would run.
General information, not medical advice. Suitability can only be judged after examining the mouth, reading a CBCT scan and reviewing the medical history; results vary between patients.
