The short answer, up front

A single-tooth implant replaces one missing tooth, root and all. A small titanium post goes into the jawbone where the root used to be, the bone heals around it over a few months, and a crown gets attached on top once that healing is complete. For a straightforward case, the whole process usually runs three to six months from placement to final crown. It takes longer if a bone graft or an extraction has to heal first. We do not describe this as a one-visit procedure, because it is not one; it is a few appointments spaced out around the time your bone actually needs to heal.

The stages, in order

It starts with a consultation and imaging, usually a 3D scan, so Dr. Altomare can see the bone at the site and plan exactly where the implant needs to go. If the tooth is still present and failing, the extraction happens next, sometimes on the same day as implant placement and sometimes after the socket heals first, depending on the site. The implant post itself is placed in a single appointment. Then comes the healing period, where the bone fuses around the post; this is the part that takes the most time and the least chair time. Once that is confirmed, the crown is attached, and that is the tooth you will have for years.

Why one office matters here

A single implant touches surgery and restoration both, and Dr. Altomare does both here. A lot of practices place the implant with an oral surgeon and hand the crown work to a separate general dentist, which means two offices, two schedules, and a plan that depends on good communication between providers who may only speak through a referral note. Keeping placement and restoration in one office means the person planning the crown is the same person who placed the implant, so the plan does not have a seam in the middle of it. When a case does need a specialist, we refer inside our own network, usually to Dr. Siever for periodontal work.

What actually changes the timeline and the price

Bone quality at the site is the biggest factor. A site with plenty of healthy bone can sometimes move straight to placement; a site that has lost bone over years of a missing tooth may need a graft first, which adds healing time before the implant itself goes in. Whether the natural tooth needs to be extracted first, versus a socket that is already healed, is the second factor. The crown material and lab work is the third. There is no flat price for a single implant, because those variables change the plan enough that a number given before an exam would just be a guess.

Recovery, honestly

The placement appointment itself is done under local anesthesia and most patients describe the after-effects as similar to a tooth extraction: some soreness and mild swelling for a few days, managed with over-the-counter pain medication and soft foods while the site settles. The bone-fusion period afterward does not require any downtime; you go about normal life while it happens. If the missing tooth is somewhere visible, we talk through temporary options at the consultation so you are not walking around with a gap during that healing window.

Frequently asked questions