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Implant healing — dental implants and prosthetics

During healing — usually eight to twelve weeks — the bone fuses firmly with the implant and forms a secure base for the new teeth.

During the healing period – usually eight to twelve weeks – the bone fuses firmly with the implant and forms a secure base for the new teeth. How long healing takes varies from case to case. It depends on bone quality and on the healing process. During this time the patient wears a temporary restoration, with which they can of course eat, speak and laugh.

The surface of the implant plays a special part in healing. A distinction is drawn between macro-design and micro-design. The macro-design determines the material surface structure of the implant. The micro-design defines the detailed configuration of the implant surface. Both aspects influence healing (biological stability) and matter for the hold in the jawbone. The thread and the shape of the implant are what count for primary stability, immediately after the implant is placed. This mechanical stabilisation of the implant by the thread is the precondition for a firm bond and for bone attachment during healing (osseointegration).

New implant surfaces with a special microscopic structure are intended to speed up healing. They are meant to offer more, and more favourable, surface area for jawbone substance to attach to. This increases safety for the patient and in individual cases allows the implants to be loaded earlier: the final teeth can be attached to the implants sooner and the patient enjoys their new fixed teeth earlier. In special cases implants can even be restored immediately.

The earlier implants are loaded, the greater the risk of losing them. Only your dentist can decide how long your implants have to heal and when they can be loaded. A shortened healing phase raises the risk of implant loss. Primary stability (the mechanical stability of the implant as it is screwed in) and secondary stability (stability from bone attaching to the implant) determine when loading is possible. Further criteria are the bone available and the type of prosthetic restoration planned.

Answered briefly

Frequently asked questions

Osseointegration is the firm fusing of the jawbone with the implant during the healing period. It requires primary stability, that is the mechanical hold that the thread of the implant gives immediately after it is placed. The bone growing onto it creates the secure basis for the new teeth.
The surface influences how the implant heals in and how firmly it holds in the jawbone. A distinction is made between the macro design, the material structure of the surface, and the micro design, the fine detail of the surface. New, microscopically structured surfaces are intended to speed up healing.
The time is determined by primary stability, that is the mechanical hold when the implant is screwed in, and by secondary stability from the bone growing onto the implant. Further criteria are the amount of bone available and the type of prosthetic restoration planned. Only the treating doctor can decide this.