The gold standard for replacing missing teeth. Implants look, feel, and function like natural teeth — and implant-supported overdentures offer the best long-term, healthy option for replacing multiple missing teeth.
A missing tooth is not only a gap. The jawbone underneath it was being maintained by the pressure of chewing, and once that stops the bone begins to withdraw — slowly, but measurably, year on year. An implant is the only replacement that puts that load back.
What goes in is a small titanium screw, set into the bone where the root used to sit. Bone grows onto titanium and holds it, which is why the finished tooth does not rock, does not need adhesive and is cleaned with a brush like any other tooth. A crown is fitted on top once the bone has taken hold.
Compared with the alternatives: a bridge means grinding down the two sound teeth on either side of the gap to carry it, and a partial denture comes out at night and moves while you eat. Neither does anything for the bone. An implant leaves the neighbouring teeth untouched and keeps the ridge where it is.
Where several teeth are gone, an implant-supported overdenture is often the better answer — a denture clipped onto implants instead of resting on the gum. For anyone who has spent years fighting a lower denture that will not stay put, it tends to be the change that matters most.
| The post that is placed in the jaw | $1,000–$3,000 |
|---|---|
| The abutment that joins post to tooth | $400–$1,000 |
| The crown that does the chewing | $800–$3,000 |
| One tooth, everything included | $3,000–$6,000 |
| Grafting, where the site needs rebuilding first | $400–$1,500 |
Figures are typical 2026 ranges across United States practices, drawn from published fee surveys. They are here so you have a ballpark instead of a blank, not as a quote from this office. Your own number depends on your mouth and your benefits, and you get it in writing after an exam.
What moves the number:
Anyone promising a finished implant in a fortnight is either talking about a temporary or not telling you everything. The post has to be gripped by living bone, and bone takes its own time about it.
Placement itself is one appointment of roughly an hour under local anaesthetic. Then three to six months pass while the bone knits onto the titanium. After that, a short visit for the abutment and another for the crown. Call it two or three appointments across four to eight months, most of which you spend doing nothing at all. If the gap shows when you smile, you get a temporary to bridge the wait.
Healing is usually easier than people brace for — a few days of soreness, ibuprofen, soft food for a week, most people back at work the following day.
Most adults are. The usual qualifiers are enough healthy bone to hold the post and gums that are not actively infected — and both of those can often be fixed rather than being the end of the conversation.
Active gum disease is treated before anything is placed, because an implant sitting in inflamed tissue will not last. Heavy smoking meaningfully raises the failure rate and we will say so plainly rather than take your money and hope. Uncontrolled diabetes slows healing, though well-managed diabetes is not a barrier at all. Certain bone medications need a conversation with your physician first.
People ring and ask for a price, and it is a completely reasonable thing to want. The trouble is that the honest answer depends on things nobody can see down a telephone line.
Whether there is bone to work with. Whether the failing tooth will come out cleanly. Whether the gums need treating first. An X-ray answers all three in about ten minutes, and then the figure we give you is real rather than a number chosen to get you through the door. A consultation is where that starts, and you leave it knowing the plan and the cost whether or not you go ahead.
The post itself is generally a lifetime fixture once the bone has taken to it — studies routinely report better than nine in ten still in place after ten years. The crown on top is the wearing part and may need renewing after fifteen years or so, rather like any other crown. Cleaning and regular checkups are what decide it.
Most adults are. What matters is the bone available to anchor the post and the health of the surrounding gum, and where either falls short there is usually something that can be done about it first — grafting to rebuild the site, or treating gum disease before anything is placed. A single X-ray answers the question in minutes.
The placement is done under local anesthetic and most patients compare the recovery to an extraction rather than anything worse.
If you are looking for the best long-term, healthy option for replacing missing teeth, look no further than implant-supported restorations.
Treatment that clears infection from inside a tooth and seals it, ending the pain and keeping the tooth in place rather than replacing it.
More about root canal therapy →Custom-made caps that restore strength and appearance to teeth that are cracked, worn, or weakened after a root canal or large filling.
More about dental crowns →A fixed, natural-looking way to fill the gap left by one or more missing teeth, anchored securely to neighboring teeth or implants.
More about dental bridges →Comfortable full and partial dentures, including implant-supported options that stay secure so you can eat and speak with confidence.
More about dentures →Call 301-829-2220 or request your appointment online today.
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