How Many Dental Implants Can Be Placed at One Time?

How Many Dental Implants Can Be Placed at One Time?

Dental implants are one of the most popular methods for replacing missing teeth. Unlike other solutions, they aren’t reliant on any of your natural teeth for support. Instead, they are secured directly to your jawbone using a titanium post which is surgically implanted into the bone. As the bone heals around the post, it secures it permanently in place, giving the entire structure unrivaled stability and security.

One or two missing teeth will require one implant per tooth. However, if you have two or more missing teeth that require replacement, it may be possible to support a number of artificial teeth on far fewer implants. For example, an entire arch of artificial teeth in an implant-supported denture could be securely placed on anywhere from 4 to 8 implant posts. But just how many dental implants can you actually have placed at once?

You may be surprised to learn that there isn’t a limit when it comes to the number of implant posts that you can have placed at one time. However, it is important to remember that most people do not lose a number of teeth at one time. In most instances, tooth loss or extraction happens gradually, and this means that for the vast majority of patients, single dental implants are placed fairly soon after an individual tooth is lost. A large number of dental implants are usually only placed when a patient is having a denture replaced, or they are finally getting around to having their missing teeth replaced after having been without them for some time. While there isn’t a limit as to how many implant posts you can have placed at one time, there are some things that you may want to consider when you meet with your dental implant provider to plan your treatment.
 

Factors to consider when it comes to how many dental implants you are having placed

Here are some of the things that you may want to think about when it comes to planning your dental implant treatment. 
 

Post-surgical effects

Placing dental implants is a surgical process and this means that in addition to undergoing the surgery itself, you will also need to allow some time for your mouth and gums to heal following your appointment. The actual process of osseointegration, which is the fusion of the jawbone around the implants, takes a number of months. However, the gums will heal much more quickly. During this time, you will have to take special care of the surgical site, such as by keeping it clean and eating soft foods so that you don’t disrupt the sutures. If you choose to have your implants placed over multiple appointments, you should also expect to undergo a number of recovery periods. For this reason, many patients prefer to get the entire surgery and recovery over in one go.
 

Cost

Dental implants are one of the most expensive dental restoration treatments available. While they absolutely represent value for money, the potential cost of the treatment can mean that patients choose to get their implants in stages so that they can spread the cost of their treatment. However, since certain things will be needed in each surgery – such as anesthetic and certain sterile surgical consumables – it can work out more cost-effective to have all of your dental implants placed at once. Your dental implant surgeon will be able to discuss this with you and may be able to offer you a payment plan.

Time and convenience

Every dental implant surgery will require you to have a period of time during which you will prepare for surgery, the surgery itself, and the recovery period. The preparation is particularly important since you will be having anesthetic and each time it will be necessary for your dental implant team to check that you are healthy enough to undergo the procedure and at low risk of complications from the anesthetic. After your surgery, you will be asked to attend several follow-up visits to ensure that the implant is healing as it should and that there are no complications. All of these appointments can be time-consuming and inconvenient. Again, for this reason, many patients choose to reduce the overall duration of their treatment by getting all of their implants placed at once.

If you aren’t sure how many dental implants you need, or if you would like to discuss dental implant procedure planning, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our expert dentistry team today.