An implant replaces the whole tooth — root included. It doesn't rely on the teeth beside it, it doesn't come out at night, and cared for properly it can last the rest of your life.
Most people picture a fake tooth. An implant is really three separate parts.
The implant itself is a small titanium post, about the size of the root it's replacing, that we place into the jawbone. Over the following months your bone grows onto its surface and locks it in place. That process has a name — osseointegration — and it's the reason an implant feels solid rather than fitted.
On top of that sits a small connector called an abutment, and on top of that goes the crown — the part you see and chew with, shaped and shaded to match your other teeth.
You lose a tooth, and the bone that used to hold it starts to melt away. An implant is the only replacement that stops that happening, because it puts pressure back into the bone the way a real root did.
Placing an implant is usually easier on patients than the extraction that came before it. That surprises people, but it's what we hear back most often.
The area is fully numbed, so you feel pressure and movement but not pain. Afterward, expect soreness rather than sharp pain — most patients manage it with ibuprofen and are comfortable within two or three days. Swelling, if you get it, peaks around 48 hours and then settles.
If dental anxiety is the thing standing between you and treatment, say so when you call. We offer IV sedation in-house, and for many people that turns the whole appointment into something they simply don't remember. For longer cases we can also arrange full general anesthesia with a certified registered nurse anesthetist here in our office.
The surgery is the short part. Placing a single implant usually takes between 45 minutes and an hour and a half, and you go home the same day.
The waiting is the long part. Bone needs roughly three to four months to fuse to the implant before it can carry a crown. So from start to finished tooth, plan on four to six months for a straightforward case.
Two things change that timeline:
Most people take the rest of the day off and go back to work the next morning. Desk work, certainly. Hold off on the gym and anything strenuous for about a week — raising your blood pressure raises the odds of bleeding and swelling.
Don't smoke during healing if you can possibly help it. Smoking is the single biggest controllable reason implants fail, and we'd rather tell you that up front than after.
Most adults missing one or more teeth are candidates. What we're actually checking at your consultation is:
If we don't think an implant is your best option, we'll say so and tell you what is. That happens, and it's a better outcome than a treatment that doesn't hold up.
Every implant here starts with a CBCT scan — a 3D image of your jaw. On that scan we can see the exact width and height of bone available and where the nerves and sinuses sit, and we place the implant virtually before we place it in you.
It is a slower way to work. It is also the reason we can tell you in advance what we're going to do, rather than finding out halfway through.
Board certification is the highest credential in periodontics, and both of our doctors hold it. Complex cases here are reviewed by both: the surgeon who will do the work, and the specialist who helped write the research it rests on. A second opinion is built in, with no extra step for you.
Diplomate, American Board of Periodontology · Faculty, PNWU School of Dental Medicine
Founder of the practice. Trained in the UK and the United States, teaches periodontics at the dental school in Yakima and lectures internationally. Conservative planning, honest advice, and no corners cut.
Read his full bio
Diplomate, American Board of Periodontology · Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Michigan
More than 140 published papers and a lead author of the national guidelines on disease around implants. Other surgeons travel to learn implant surgery from him. Calm, thorough, and clear about what he is doing and why.
Read his full bioWhen your dentist wants a specialist involved, this is where they send you.
We can't put a real number on a webpage, because the honest answer depends on what your exam and 3D scan show. What we can promise is that you'll get a written treatment plan with an exact figure on it before you commit to anything. No surprises added later.
Most patients have some insurance coverage, and we'll check yours and tell you what it will and won't pay. For the balance, we work with three financing companies so you can spread the cost over time — many patients qualify for plans with no interest if paid within the promotional period.
Ask us at your consultation and we'll walk you through the options and the monthly numbers.
"Past trauma left me anxious about the dentist. Dr. Alkanan helped me overcome my fear."
"I have never felt more cared for by a dentist than I do with Dr. Alkanan."
"I couldn't eat properly. Dental implants offered me the permanent solution that I needed."
Dr. Alkanan founded Eastern Washington Implants and Periodontics on a simple idea: patients in Eastern Washington deserve board-certified specialists, 3D-planned surgery and sedation done properly, close to home.
Take two minutes and hear it in his own words.
Call any of our three offices, or send us a request and we'll get back to you. Phone hours are Monday to Friday, 7am to 3pm.