A replacement root and crown that stands on its own, without touching the teeth beside it.
Overview
A dental implant is a small titanium post placed into the jawbone to take the place of a missing tooth's root. Over the following months the bone grows onto its surface — a process called osseointegration — which is what gives the implant, its stability.
Once it has fused, an abutment and a custom crown are fitted on top. The result stands on its own: unlike a bridge, it does not need the healthy teeth on either side to be trimmed down to carry it.
Suitability
If one of these suits you better than dental implants, we will say so at your consultation — including when the right answer is to do nothing for now.
Step by step
A 3D cone-beam scan shows us the exact bone height, width and the position of the nerve. We plan the implant position on the scan before anything is placed.
The post is placed under local anaesthetic — most patients describe the sensation as pressure rather than pain. It takes about an hour for a single implant.
The bone fuses to the implant surface. You wear a temporary tooth in the meantime if the gap is visible. This phase cannot be rushed — it is what makes the implant last.
Once integration is confirmed, we fit the connector and take a digital scan for the crown.
Your custom crown is fitted, the bite checked and adjusted. You will be able to eat on it.
Benefits
Stands independently — the teeth on either side are left untouched
Transmits bite force into the jaw, which helps limit the bone loss that follows a missing tooth
Does not come out at night, and does not need adhesive
Cleaned with a brush and floss like a natural tooth
Individual implants can be replaced without redoing the whole arch
After treatment
Who will treat you
MDS · MNDC (New Zealand) · MADC (Australia) · PGDAI (CIIOMFI, France) · Fellow ICOI (USA)
Dr. G. Vijay Srinivas is an Oral & Maxillofacial Pathologist and Implant Dentistry practitioner with more than 35 years of clinical experience, and the founder of AP Superspeciality Dental Hospitals.
Full profileWhere
Complex surgical cases — full-mouth rehabilitation, zygomatic implants, cases needing sedation — are carried out at our Banjara Hills Elite hospital. If your case needs that team, we will move you there rather than compromise on it.
Questions
The placement itself is done under local anaesthetic, so you should feel pressure and movement but not pain. Afterwards, most patients report soreness comparable to an extraction for two to three days, managed with ordinary painkillers. We will not tell you it is painless — we will tell you exactly what to expect.
Usually three to six months from placement to final crown, because the bone needs that time to fuse to the implant. If a graft is needed, add three to six months more. Immediate-loading cases are quicker but only a minority of patients qualify.
With good hygiene and regular reviews, implants commonly last 15 to 25 years and often longer. The crown on top usually needs replacing before the implant does. Nothing in dentistry is permanent, and anyone promising you a lifetime guarantee is overselling.
There is no upper age limit. What matters is bone volume and general health, not birth date — we place implants routinely for patients in their seventies and eighties. Uncontrolled diabetes, smoking and certain bone medications matter far more than age.
Not usually in one, but two is realistic: placement on the first visit, then the crown three to six months later. Many of our International patients have the crown stage timed to a planned trip home. We can also do the first consultation by video before you fly. See our International patients page for how we schedule this.
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