What to Expect from Dental Implants in Garland, TX

If you've lost a tooth, or you're trying to plan ahead before something becomes a bigger problem, you've probably heard the words "dental implant" tossed around at the dentist's office. Patients ask about implants every day at our Firewheel office in Garland, and most come in with the same questions: How long does it take? Will it hurt? Why is the price what it is?

This guide answers all of that. We placed our 5,000th implant earlier this year, so by the time you read this we've probably done a few more for patients up and down Beebalm Lane. Here's what the process actually looks like from the patient's chair.

What a dental implant is, in plain terms

A dental implant has three parts: a titanium post that goes into your jawbone, an abutment that connects to the post, and a crown that sits on top and looks like a tooth. The post does the same job your natural root used to do. Your bone fuses around it over a few months, which is what gives the finished tooth the feel and bite strength of the real thing.

That last part matters. Bridges and dentures sit on top of the gum. Implants are anchored into the bone. That is why they don't slip and why they don't put pressure on the teeth next to them.

Your first visit at our Garland office

The first appointment is a consultation. We take a 3D CBCT scan of your jaw, look at the bone in the area where the tooth is missing, and walk you through what's actually going on in your mouth on a screen. You see what we see.

If there is enough bone, we can usually schedule the implant placement within a few weeks. If the bone has shrunk back, which happens after teeth are missing for a while, you may need a bone graft first to rebuild it. We tell you on day one, not surprise you halfway through.

The implant placement itself

The placement appointment runs about an hour for a single implant. We use local anesthesia, and most patients are surprised at how unremarkable it feels. You are awake. You don't feel the post going in. You feel pressure, the way you would at a routine filling.

For patients who don't love dental work, we offer IV sedation. You stay safe and monitored the whole time and remember almost nothing about it afterward. About a third of our implant patients in Garland choose sedation.

After placement, you go home the same day. Most people take ibuprofen for a day or two. Some patients drive back to Dallas and go to work the next morning. Others take three days off and lie low. Both are fine.

Healing and the final tooth

This is the part patients sometimes don't expect: there is a healing window of about three to four months between when the post goes in and when the final crown gets attached. The bone needs that time to bond to the titanium. You wear a temporary tooth in the meantime so nobody sees a gap.

Once the bone has fused, we make the final crown to match your other teeth in shape, shade, and bite. The crown is screwed into the implant from the inside, so there are no edges showing. From the outside, you can't tell which tooth is the implant.

A few things patients in the Garland area ask us

Can I get the implant the same day the tooth comes out? Sometimes, when the surrounding bone is healthy and the infection is under control. We make that call the day of, based on what we see.

How long does an implant last? With routine care, implants regularly last 25+ years. The bone holds onto the post the same way it holds onto a natural tooth root.

Will the crown ever need to be replaced? The crown itself can chip or wear down after 10 to 15 years. The post stays where it is. Replacing the crown is straightforward and doesn't involve another surgery.

If you're weighing implants and want to look at your own jawbone on a screen before you decide anything, schedule a consultation at our Garland office. We can usually get you in within a week.