Dental implants.
A replacement tooth that stands on its own
The essentials
In short
A dental implant is a titanium post placed into the jawbone to replace the root of a missing tooth, restored with a crown once the bone has fused to it. Unlike a bridge, it does not rely on the neighboring teeth, and unlike a denture it preserves the bone in that site. Treatment is staged over several months: placement, a healing period while bone integrates, then the abutment and crown. Candidacy depends on bone volume, gum health, general health and smoking.
What an implant actually is
Three parts, placed at different times:
- The fixture: a titanium screw placed into the jawbone, taking the role of the root.
- The abutment: a connector that sits at gum level, fitted once the bone has integrated.
- The crown: the visible tooth, made to match your own.
The reason it works is osseointegration: living bone grows directly onto the titanium surface, locking it in. That biological process takes months and cannot be hurried, which is why the timeline is what it is.
Why the bone matters more than the tooth
The moment a tooth is lost, the bone that held it starts to remodel away. Most of that loss happens in the first six months. An implant placed into a site that has been empty for five years is a different, harder case than one placed into a socket grafted at the time of extraction.
This is why the most valuable conversation about an implant happens before the tooth comes out. If you are facing an extraction and think you may want an implant later, say so at that appointment. Socket preservation at the time costs a fraction of rebuilding a collapsed ridge afterwards.
The staged timeline, honestly
Nobody enjoys hearing “three to six months”. The alternative (loading an implant before it has integrated) is how implants fail. Dr. Patel completed post-doctoral advanced implantology training at Texas Implant Institute, and the staged, imaged, verified approach is deliberate: each step is confirmed before the next one starts.
Temporary options during the healing phase, including a removable temporary tooth, are discussed as part of planning so you are not left with a visible gap.
Maintenance is the whole game
An implant cannot get a cavity. It can absolutely lose the bone around it. Peri-implantitis behaves like periodontal disease, and the two share the same drivers: plaque, smoking, and long gaps between cleanings. Implant patients need their maintenance visits, specific cleaning technique around the implant, and a night guard if they grind.
Alternatives
A bridge for a single gap between sound teeth. A partial denture for multiple gaps or where surgery is not advisable. Doing nothing, which is a real option for some back-tooth spaces but comes with drift, over-eruption and bite changes over years. We will describe all of them and what each one costs you in the long run, not just at the outset.
What affects the cost
Cost is built from several separate procedures: any grafting, the implant placement, the abutment and the crown. Complexity, whether 3D imaging is needed and whether the site needs building all move the figure. Dental insurance coverage for implants varies enormously. Some plans cover a share of the crown but not the surgical placement, some cover neither, some have moved to partial coverage in recent years. We will submit a pre-determination in writing before you commit.
Talk it through first
Nothing here replaces an examination. If you are weighing this up, the useful next step is a conversation. Bring your questions, bring what you have been told elsewhere, and ask what the alternatives cost over ten years rather than this month.
Oak Hills Dentistry is on Louetta Road in Spring, Texas, and also sees patients from The Woodlands and north Houston. Request an appointment or call 281-350-8852.
Written for patients of Oak Hills Dentistry in Spring, Texas. General dental education, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan for any individual. Updated August 2026. This page covers a higher-risk treatment area and is queued for clinical sign-off by Dr. Neal H. Patel before launch.
The path
How it goes, step by step.
A meticulous sequence, explained before it starts. You should never be surprised by the next appointment.
Step 1: Assessment and imaging
A full exam, X-rays and three-dimensional imaging where indicated, to measure the available bone and locate the nerve or sinus before anything is planned.
Step 2: Site preparation
Extraction and socket grafting, or ridge augmentation, if the bone needs building first. Some cases skip this entirely.
Step 3: Implant placement
The post is placed under local anesthetic, with sedation if you want it. Most single implants take under an hour.
Step 4: Integration and restoration
Three to six months for bone to fuse to the implant, then the abutment and final crown, made to match your other teeth.
The practice
Where the work happens.
FAQ
Know before you visit.
Answers to your most common questions.
Most adults with healthy gums and adequate bone are. The things that genuinely complicate it are insufficient bone volume, which is often solvable with grafting; active gum disease, which must be treated first; uncontrolled diabetes; some bone-modifying medications, particularly intravenous bisphosphonates; head and neck radiotherapy; and smoking, which meaningfully raises the failure rate.
For a straightforward site with good bone, commonly three to four months from placement to final crown. Add three to six months if the site needs grafting first. It is a slow treatment because bone integration cannot be accelerated. That waiting is what makes it last.
Placement itself is done under local anesthetic and most patients are surprised by how manageable it is, often less uncomfortable than the extraction that preceded it. Expect a few days of soreness and some swelling, usually handled with over-the-counter anti-inflammatories.
Long-term studies show high survival rates well beyond ten years for well-maintained implants. The post is titanium and does not decay; what fails is the surrounding bone and gum, through a condition called peri-implantitis that behaves much like gum disease. Cleaning and maintenance visits are what determine the outcome. The crown on top will likely need replacing at some point even when the implant is fine.
An implant does not touch the neighboring teeth and preserves bone in the gap; a bridge requires cutting down two healthy teeth and does nothing for the bone. But a bridge is faster, cheaper up front, and sometimes the better choice, where bone is very deficient, where the neighboring teeth already need crowns, or where surgery is not advisable. We will lay out both.
Function is generally excellent. You chew normally. Aesthetics in the front depend on gum contour and bone as much as the crown, which is why front implants are planned more cautiously. There is no nerve in an implant, so it will not feel temperature the way a natural tooth does.
Start your smile journey.
Tell us how to reach you and we will call to talk through single & multiple tooth implants, no commitment.