The dental implant process takes less time, and involves less discomfort, than most patients around Spring Hope, Rocky Mount, and Nashville expect when they first call us. Most single implants run about 3 to 5 months from consultation to final crown, and only a handful of those days involve actually sitting in our chair. Here’s the whole road, step by step, with nothing glossed over.
Step 1: The $99 Consultation. Scan, Answers, Exact Price (Day 1)
Everything starts with information. Dr. Abboud examines your mouth and takes a 3D CBCT scan, a quick low-dose image that shows your bone height, bone width, nerve positions, and sinuses in three dimensions. This is how implant dentistry avoids surprises: we see everything before anything happens.
You leave this visit with three things: a definitive answer on whether you’re a candidate, your treatment plan, and your exact package price in writing. Not an estimate. The number. The $99 fee is credited toward your treatment. About 60 minutes, start to finish.
Step 2: Digital Planning, Guided or Freehand (Behind the Scenes)
Before your surgical visit, Dr. Abboud plans your implant placement digitally on your scan: the exact position, angle, and depth. For cases that benefit from it, we design and 3D-print a surgical guide in-house on our SprintRay printer, a custom template that fits over your teeth and directs the implant precisely where the plan says. Other cases are placed freehand by design, with the scan still driving every decision. You don’t attend this step. It’s homework we do so your surgery visit is short and predictable. More on our technology page.
Step 3: Placement Day (One Visit)
The visit patients dread most, and the one they consistently say was easier than a filling. Your mouth is fully numbed. You feel pressure, not pain. If a tooth needs to come out first, that happens now, along with the bone graft that’s already in your package. The implant goes into position, often through the same small opening.
Nervous? We get it, and we offer nitrous and oral sedation for patients who want the visit to feel like background noise. The placement itself usually takes under an hour. We book the visit for closer to two so nothing about your surgery ever feels rushed.
That evening and the next few days: expect some soreness managed with over-the-counter medication, minor swelling, and soft foods for a few days. Most patients are back at work the next day.
Step 4: The Quiet Months. Osseointegration (6 to 12 Weeks)
Now the biology does the work. Over 6 to 12 weeks, your bone fuses to the implant surface, a process called osseointegration, and it’s what makes an implant permanent rather than just placed. There’s nothing you need to do except live your life, keep the area clean the way we show you, and come in for a quick check so we can confirm the implant is rock solid before building on it. If you’d like a tooth in the gap during this stretch, especially for a front tooth, ask about a flipper: a light temporary we make in-house as an optional add-on, quoted up front like everything else.
Step 5: Abutment and Crown (1 to 2 Visits)
Once the implant is fused, we attach the abutment, the small connector post, and take a digital scan for your crown. No goopy impression trays. Our scanner captures everything in minutes. Your custom crown comes back shade-matched to its neighbors, Dr. Abboud seats and adjusts it, and you walk out with a finished tooth.
Dr. Abboud’s Take
“Patients tell me it feels like another tooth, like it’s not even there. That’s the goal, and the way we get there is planning. Every case is planned on a CBCT, we print a surgical guide from your scan when the case calls for it, and the surgery itself follows current research with the right tools for the job. I keep seven different implant kits in this office because no two situations are the same.”
— Dr. Elie Abboud, DDS
Total Timelines by Case Type
| Case | Typical timeline | Chair visits |
|---|---|---|
| Single implant, tooth already out | ~3 to 4 months | 3 to 4 |
| Single implant with extraction + graft | ~4 to 5 months | 3 to 5 |
| Implant bridge (multiple teeth) | ~3 to 5 months | 4 to 5 |
| All-on-X full arch | Fixed teeth same day; final zirconia bridge at 3 to 4 months | 4 to 6 |
| Standalone bone graft or lateral sinus lift first | adds ~3 months (lower jaw) / ~4 months (upper) before placement | +1 to 2 |
Caring for Your Implant Afterward
Implants can’t get cavities, but the gums around them still need what natural teeth need: brushing twice a day, cleaning between teeth, and regular hygiene visits so we can keep the foundation healthy. Treat it well and a dental implant routinely serves for decades.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do dental implants take from start to finish?
Most single implants take about 3 to 5 months from your consultation to the final crown. The longest stretch is healing time you spend living normally. Actual chair time across the whole process is usually just a few hours.
How much time will I need off work?
Most patients take the placement day itself easy and are back at work the next day. Physically demanding jobs may warrant an extra day or two.
Does getting an implant hurt?
The placement is done fully numbed. You feel pressure, not pain. Afterward, most patients describe a few days of soreness handled with over-the-counter medication. It’s routinely easier than the extraction that preceded it.
Can I eat normally during the process?
Soft foods for the first few days after placement, then back to a mostly normal diet while the implant heals under the gum. Once the final crown is on, no restrictions at all.
What if I smoke?
Smoking raises the risk of implant problems, and Dr. Abboud walks through exactly what that means at every smoker’s consult. No lectures, just the honest picture. It doesn’t rule you out: for smokers he adapts the technique, including burying the implant fully under the gum while it heals so it stays protected. Ideally, stay off cigarettes for at least the first couple of days after surgery.
How long after an extraction can I get the implant?
Sometimes the same day. Dr. Abboud offers immediate placement when the scan supports it, which can shave months off the timeline. Otherwise the grafted socket heals for a few months first. Your consult answers this for your specific tooth.
Your $99 Implant Consultation, Credited Toward Treatment
Your consultation includes a full exam, a 3D CBCT scan of your jaw, and your exact package price in writing. The $99 fee is credited in full toward your treatment, so if you move forward, the consultation costs you nothing. We charge for it because implant planning is real diagnostic work, and it keeps the visit focused on people who are serious about fixing their smile.
Call or text (252) 478-3422 to reserve your consultation.
Already Have a Quote From Another Office?
Bring it. We’ll review your treatment plan and give you an honest evaluation at no charge, including our exact package price for the same treatment. Many patients discover they have more options than they were told.
Making It Affordable
VIP Plan members save 20% on every implant package. See the VIP Membership Plan for details. We also offer financing through Cherry, Sunbit, and CareCredit, plus an in-house option that splits treatment into three equal monthly payments. We’ll help you understand any insurance benefits before your visit.
Spring Hope Family Dentistry guides implant patients through this process from across Nash County and beyond. We regularly welcome patients from Rocky Mount, Nashville, Wilson, Bailey, Middlesex, Elm City, Louisburg, Bunn, Castalia, Franklinton, and Lake Royale, most within a 15 to 25 minute drive of our Spring Hope office.
