Same-day implants — immediate implants, immediate loading, “teeth in a day” — let qualifying patients leave one appointment with fixed teeth in place. This guide walks through the whole process in detail: what happens before the day, what happens on it, and what happens afterwards.
What “same day” actually means
Same-day treatment means the implant is placed and a restoration is attached during a single visit, rather than waiting three to six months between the two.
The restoration fitted that day is a fixed provisional. It is screwed in, not removable, and it functions as teeth. It is not your final restoration — osseointegration still takes months, and your definitive prosthesis is fitted once that is complete. Everything below assumes that distinction is clear.
Two timelines compared
Conventional: implant placement → three to six months healing → abutment placement → two to three weeks for the crown to be fabricated → final crown fitted.
Same-day: implant placement and immediate provisional on day one → three to six months healing while wearing the provisional → final restoration fitted. Fewer visits, and no period without teeth.
The benefits
You are never without teeth. No gap, and no removable temporary appliance during healing.
Fewer appointments. Meaningful if taking time off work is difficult.
Your appearance is maintained throughout. Treatment does not have to be visible to everyone around you for a season.
Tissue healing is guided. An immediate provisional helps shape the gum tissue around the implant, which matters for how natural the final restoration looks.
Are you a candidate?
Not everyone is. Immediate loading places demands on the implant that a staged protocol does not.
What is needed anatomically
- adequate bone density and volume
- healthy gum tissue with no active infection
- sufficient keratinized tissue around the implant site
- a bite and jaw relationship that will not overload the provisional
Health and lifestyle
- good general health
- non-smoking, or a genuine commitment to stopping through healing
- consistent oral hygiene
- realistic expectations about what the provisional is
When we would recommend against it
- insufficient bone density, where grafting must come first
- active infection or untreated periodontal disease
- significant untreated grinding or clenching
- medical conditions that materially affect healing
- circumstances where consistent aftercare is unlikely
Recommending against same-day treatment is not a rejection. It means the staged protocol is the route with the better odds for your case, and we offer both.
The process in detail
Before the day
Same-day success is mostly decided before you arrive:
- comprehensive 3D CBCT imaging
- digital impressions and bite records
- fabrication of a surgical guide from the digital plan
- preparation of the provisional restoration in advance
On the day
Surgical phase: local anesthesia with sedation as appropriate, extraction of any remaining teeth in the site if needed, precise implant placement following the guide, and verification of stability — the implant must achieve enough primary stability to carry a restoration, and this is checked, not assumed.
Restorative phase: abutment attachment, fitting of the provisional, careful bite adjustment so forces are distributed appropriately, and post-operative instructions.
If stability at placement is not sufficient, we will not load the implant that day. That judgement is made in the moment, and it is the right call even though it is a disappointing one.
The two same-day approaches
Immediate placement. The implant is placed straight into the socket at the time of extraction. Suited to single-tooth replacement where the extraction site is not infected and there is adequate bone around the root.
Immediate loading. Implants receive a restoration without the conventional waiting period. This is the approach used in full-arch treatment, where multiple implants are splinted together by the prosthesis and share the load.
Outcomes, honestly stated
Where cases are properly selected, planned and executed, immediate loading is a well-established protocol with a substantial clinical literature behind it. It is not a shortcut, and it is not experimental.
What it is not is universally applicable — the results depend heavily on selecting the right patients, which is precisely why the evaluation matters more here than in conventional protocols.
Aftercare
First 24 to 48 hours: soft diet only, ice for swelling, gentle oral hygiene, and no strenuous activity.
Through the healing period: chew carefully on the provisional, keep every follow-up appointment, maintain excellent hygiene, and use no tobacco. The provisional is functional, but it is not something to test.
Full detail is in our recovery timeline guide.
Cost
Same-day treatment carries costs a conventional protocol does not — advanced imaging and planning, the surgical guide, fabrication of the provisional, and a longer appointment. It also removes costs: fewer visits, less time away from work, and no interim removable appliance.
We do not publish figures. You get an itemized plan at consultation, and the financing page explains the routes patients use to pay.
Finding out where you stand
One examination and one scan will answer this. See the same-day implants treatment page for how it runs here.