Dental implants, explained

A dental implant is a small titanium post placed in the jawbone to replace a missing tooth root. Once healed, it holds an abutment and a porcelain crown — so the finished tooth looks, feels, and works like a natural one.

A straightforward single-tooth case is $1,990 — the implant, abutment, and crown, published up front. What changes the number is what the post has to hold: a socket graft adds $695, a ridge graft adds $1,450, and an extraction ($450) or surgical guide ($395) is quoted only if your case needs one. Several teeth in a row often need fewer implants than teeth — we price the plan, not the tooth count. Dr. Chon reviews your 3D scan with you at the free consultation and confirms your complete plan and price before anything begins.

Most adults with a missing or failing tooth are candidates. What matters is healthy gums and enough jawbone to hold the implant — both are checked at a free consultation with a 3D scan, so you know before committing to anything.

Typically three to six months start to finish: placement is a single visit, the implant then integrates with the bone over a few months, and the final crown is placed once it's solid. You're never left without a plan for the gap in between.

Yes. We stand behind our implant work with a four-year care policy, kept active with routine six-month maintenance visits.

The placement itself is done under local anesthetic, so you feel pressure rather than pain. If dental work makes you anxious, In Line offers nitrous oxide sedation — tell Dr. Chon at the consultation and it is arranged before the day. Most patients describe the recovery as easier than a tooth extraction, and manage it with over-the-counter pain relief.

A bridge replaces the missing tooth by capping the two healthy teeth either side of the gap, which means reshaping teeth that are currently fine. An implant sits in the gap on its own and leaves the neighbouring teeth untouched. An implant also replaces the tooth root, which is what keeps the jawbone in that spot stimulated. Dr. Chon walks through both options against your own 3D scan at the free consultation — there are cases where a bridge is the better answer, and he will say so.

Two things start slowly. The jawbone where the root used to be is no longer stimulated and gradually loses volume, and the teeth either side begin to drift toward the gap while the opposing tooth over-erupts into it. Neither is an emergency, but both make treatment more involved later — which is why it is worth getting a scan and knowing your options even if you are not ready to start.