Dental implants

A systematic review of 23 studies covering 7,711 implants at a mean 13.4 years of follow-up reported 94.6% cumulative survival and 1.3 mm mean marginal bone loss. A 2024 meta-analysis of 20-year data reported 92% survival in prospective studies — 78% once dropouts were imputed — and 88% in retrospective studies. Most implants are still in place after a decade, but "lasts a lifetime" is not what the long-term literature shows, and the crown is generally replaced before the implant is.

Placement is done under local anaesthetic and is not usually painful while it is happening. Afterwards expect discomfort, swelling and some bleeding for several days, normally managed with over-the-counter anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen. Most people feel like themselves again within a week or so.

Placement is a single appointment, but osseointegration takes 3 to 9 months depending on bone quality and site before the final restoration can be attached. If a bone graft is needed first, add at least 3 months for a small graft and 9 to 12 months for a large one. A single-tooth case in good bone commonly runs 3 to 6 months end to end.

Sometimes. Immediate loading — fitting a restoration within a week of placement — depends on the implant achieving high primary stability, with an insertion torque of at least 35 Ncm treated as the prerequisite. A Cochrane review found no convincing evidence of a clinically important difference in failure rates between immediate, early and conventional loading, but graded that evidence very low certainty. A clinic offering same-day teeth to every patient regardless of bone quality is not following the evidence.

Two is the realistic default. The first is roughly 5 days for consultation, imaging, placement and post-op review. The second comes after osseointegration, 3 to 9 months later, and runs 7 to 10 days — that length is dental lab turnaround on the final crown or bridge, not healing. If grafting proves necessary, it becomes three trips, and we tell you that once we have seen the scan rather than after you have booked.

Yes. Peri-implantitis is inflammation with progressive bone loss around an integrated implant, and a meta-analysis of 47 studies found it in 19.83% of patients and 9.25% of implants, with prevalence rising over time. It is driven by plaque, and the risk is higher if you have a history of periodontitis or you smoke. Implants need the same hygiene and recall schedule as natural teeth, with bone levels checked radiographically.

It does not rule them out, but it measurably worsens the odds. Meta-analysis puts implant failure risk in smokers at about 2.4 times that of non-smokers, with roughly 0.58 mm more marginal bone loss. We will ask for cessation before surgery and through the healing period, and we would rather say so than place an implant into a known disadvantage.

Insufficient bone volume is common where a tooth has been missing for years, and grafting addresses it — socket preservation at the time of extraction, ridge augmentation for a narrow ridge, or a sinus lift at the back of the upper jaw. A graft needs at least 3 months to heal, and larger grafts 9 to 12 months. The implant is best placed within 6 to 12 months of that, before the grafted bone resorbs.

The British Dental Journal advises waiting at least 72 hours after uncomplicated implant placement before flying, provided there is no pain, swelling or bleeding at the site. We prefer 5 days, which gives margin to review swelling in person before you leave. After a sinus lift the advice is different and much stricter — a minimum of 2 weeks, or avoiding air travel altogether, because gas trapped in the sinus is drawn in during pressure change.

There is no upper age limit, but the jaw must have finished growing, so we do not place implants before 18. The firm cautions are medical rather than dental: uncontrolled diabetes, antiresorptive drugs such as bisphosphonates and denosumab — which carry a risk of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw after oral surgery — and previous radiotherapy to the jaws all reduce predictability and call for a considered decision with your physician, not a routine booking. Active gum disease and smoking are obstacles rather than absolute bars: we treat the first and ask you to stop the second before we place anything.

Swelling, bruising and some oozing are expected for the first two to three days. What is not expected: pain that worsens after day three instead of easing, swelling that suddenly increases after it had begun to settle, bleeding that gauze pressure will not stop, fever, a persistent bad taste or visible discharge from the site, or numbness of the lip, chin or tongue that outlasts the anaesthetic. Any of these earns a same-day message with a photo — in Istanbul we see you in person, and once you are home we tell you whether it can wait for your own dentist or cannot. Later on, an implant or crown that feels loose is never something to watch and wait on.

Close, but not identical — and it is worth knowing why. A natural tooth sits in a periodontal ligament that gives fine feedback about bite pressure; an implant is fused directly to bone, so that feedback is blunted and biting can feel unusually solid at first. Most people stop noticing within weeks. The crown itself cannot decay, but the gum and bone around it can still develop disease, and an implant will not move if you later have orthodontic treatment. It restores function and appearance; it does not regrow a tooth.

€650 to €1,400 with us, confirmed after a consultation rather than quoted blind. For comparison it is typically £2,000 – £2,500 per tooth in the United Kingdom, $3,000 – $4,500 per tooth in the United States and €1,500 – €3,000 per tooth in Western Europe. Per implant, and the figure moves with the implant system and with whether bone grafting or a sinus lift is needed first. That assessment needs a CT scan, not a photograph.