Restorative & Implant Care
The Dental Implant Procedure in Jenkintown, PA
What actually happens, appointment by appointment.
Implant treatment is not one appointment. It runs in stages, with a healing period in the middle while the bone grows against the implant. This page sets out what each stage involves so you know what you are agreeing to before it starts.
Exceptional care for a lifetime of healthy smiles
The short answer
The procedure at MVP Family Dental
The staged process of placing a dental implant, from consultation and imaging through surgical placement, a healing period and the fitting of the final restoration.
An implant is placed within the jawbone, where it acts as the root for a replacement tooth. Because bone has to grow against it before it can carry anything, the treatment is deliberately spread out rather than done in one sitting.
How long each stage takes varies with your bone and your healing. What does not vary is the order: assess, plan, place, heal, restore.
Before anything is placed
The consultation does most of the work
The first appointment is an examination and a conversation rather than a procedure. It is where the decisions get made.
- Examination and imagingWe look at the site, the bone beneath it and the teeth around it, with X-rays or a scan.
- Your expectationsWhat is bothering you and what you want back is part of the clinical picture, not separate from it.
- A written planThe sequence of appointments and what happens at each is set out before treatment begins.
- Questions and anxietiesThis is the point to raise them, including about comfort during the placement itself.
The stages
From first visit to finished tooth
The stages below are the shape of every implant case. The intervals between them are what change from patient to patient.
- Initial consultationA thorough examination including imaging, and a discussion of your expectations and concerns.
- Implant placementThe implant is placed under local anesthetic. The position is planned in advance from the imaging.
- Healing and integrationA healing period while the jawbone grows against the implant and makes it stable.
- The replacement toothOnce the implant is ready, the custom restoration is made and attached to it.
- Follow-up careReviews to check the gum around the implant, the fit of the restoration and how your bite has settled.
What it replaces
Why the root matters
An implant is the only replacement that goes back into the bone. That is what separates it from the alternatives, and it is the reason the procedure takes the shape it does.
- Preserves the ridgeThe implant loads the bone the way a root did, rather than sitting on top of it.
- Leaves neighbors aloneUnlike a bridge, nothing is done to the healthy teeth either side of the gap.
- Fixed, not removableIt stays in place, so there is nothing to take out at night.
Worth bringing to your consultation
- Any X-rays or records from a previous dentist.
- A current list of medications and medical conditions.
- How long the tooth has been missing.
- Any past experience of dental surgery that worried you.
After the restoration
The part that decides how long it lasts
The restoration cannot decay, but the gum and bone holding the implant can be lost. Aftercare is therefore about protecting the tissue around the implant rather than the crown itself.
We will go through cleaning around the implant with you, and check it at every review alongside the rest of your teeth.
Two generations of dentists, one shared commitment to helping Jenkintown families eat, speak and smile with confidence.
MVP Family Dental · Jenkintown, PA
Implant Procedure Questions
- How many appointments does it take?
- More than one. There is a consultation and imaging stage, the appointment where the implant is placed, a healing period, and then the appointments to make and fit the restoration.
- What happens at the first appointment?
- A thorough examination including X-rays or a scan, and a discussion of what you want and what concerns you. Nothing is placed at that visit.
- Is the placement done under anesthetic?
- Yes, local anesthetic. Comfort during the appointment is something to raise at the consultation so it can be planned for.
- Why is there a healing period?
- Because the implant has to become stable before it can carry a tooth. During that time bone grows against the implant surface, and only then is the restoration fitted.
- Where does the implant sit?
- Within the jawbone, below the gumline, where it takes the place of a natural tooth root. What you see afterwards is the restoration on top of it.
- What if I need a bone graft?
- Then grafting becomes an earlier stage in the plan, with its own healing period, and implant placement follows once the site is ready.
- What does follow-up involve?
- Reviews where we check the gum around the implant, confirm the restoration is seated correctly and look at how your bite has settled.
- How do I get started?
- Book a consultation at our Jenkintown office. The examination and imaging are what tell us whether an implant is the right answer for your case.
Dr. Vineetha Thomas, D.M.D.
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Dr. Priya Mathew, D.M.D.
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