Victoria dental implants, planned before they are placed
A dental implant is a titanium post placed into the jawbone, left to fuse, then restored with a crown or bridge. We plan the position on a 3D scan first, so the post sits in bone that can hold it and the finished tooth lines up with your bite.
A dental implant only works if the bone can hold it
The visible part of a dental implant is a crown. The part that decides whether it lasts is the post underneath, and that depends on how much bone is left at the site. Bone starts to shrink as soon as a tooth is lost, so a gap left for two years is not the same case as a gap left for two months. We measure the height and width of the ridge on a scan before quoting anything.
Which option fits depends on how many teeth are missing and where. A Single Tooth Implant replaces one gap without touching the teeth beside it. Multiple Tooth Implants can carry a bridge across a longer span, and an Implant Supported Bridge avoids cutting down healthy neighbours.
If the bone is thin, that does not close the door. Grafting builds the ridge back up first and adds months to the timeline rather than ruling dental implants out. We will say so at the consultation rather than at the surgery.
Planning stage
How it works
Dental implants, from first scan to final crown in four stages
Consultation and scan
We examine the site, take a CBCT scan and measure the bone. You leave with a written plan and a price, not an estimate on a business card.
Placement
The post goes in under local anaesthetic, with sedation if you want it. Most single placements take under an hour in the chair.
Healing and integration
The bone grows onto the post over roughly three to six months. A temporary tooth covers the gap while that happens.
The final tooth
We take an impression, match the shade to your own teeth and fit the crown. You come back once to check the bite settles.
Implant treatments
Related Victoria dental implant treatments
Every option below is placed and restored in this practice, planned from the same scan and quoted in writing before anything starts.
Timing, comfort, bone and what happens if something goes wrong.
Usually three to six months for a straightforward single tooth. The post goes in at one appointment, then the bone needs time to grow onto it before the final crown is fitted. Cases that need grafting first can run nine months or longer. You are not without a tooth during that time; a temporary covers the gap.
The placement itself is done under local anaesthetic, so you should feel pressure rather than pain. Most people describe the days afterwards as similar to having a tooth out, managed with over the counter pain relief and settling within a week. Sedation is available if the appointment itself worries you.
It is common, especially where a tooth has been missing for years. Grafting rebuilds the ridge so a post can be anchored properly. That adds a healing stage and cost to the plan rather than ruling implants out. We measure the bone on a scan before quoting, so you find out at the consultation.
The post itself is designed to stay for decades once the bone has fused to it. The crown on top is the part that wears and may need replacing after ten to fifteen years, in the same way a filling or a bridge does. Cleaning and regular checkups matter more to the outcome than any other single factor.
Often yes, but both raise the risk of the implant failing to integrate, and you deserve to know that before you commit. Well controlled diabetes is much less of a concern than uncontrolled. We discuss your medical history at the consultation and will tell you honestly if we think the odds are poor.
Victoria patients
What Victoria dental implant patients say
★★★★★4.9· 118 reviews on Google
★★★★★
Lost a molar years ago and finally dealt with it. The scan showed enough bone, the post went in easily and the crown matches the tooth next to it.
N. Bergstrom
Single tooth implant, Victoria
★★★★★
I was most worried about the front tooth looking obvious. They took time over the shade and the gum line. Nobody has noticed which one it is.
C. Falconer
Front tooth implant, Langford
★★★★★
Two posts carrying three teeth. They explained why that was better than cutting down the healthy teeth either side, and the cost was set out in writing.
D. Novotny
Implant bridge patient, Colwood
★★★★★
Needed grafting first, which added months. They said so at the consultation rather than partway through, which I appreciated.
E. Rahimi
Bone graft then implant, Saanich
From the blog
Victoria implant guides: cost, healing time and treatment comparisons
The consultation covers an examination, a 3D scan of the site and a written plan with the cost set out stage by stage. You will hear how much bone is there, whether grafting is needed and how long the whole thing takes before you decide anything.
