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Described here are just some standard dental implant surgical procedures. Your dentist may employ a different style or technique because different cases may have different requirements. Procedures may also vary with the type of implant system being used.

Stage 1
A small portion of the gum around the area of operation is raised from the underlying bone. The implants are then screwed into the holes which are gradually enlarged by a series of drills. Once the implants are in place, the gums are stitched back over the implanted fixtures. With the implants safely buried under the gums, a temporary denture can be worn over the area.

Stage 2
About 3 months later, the titanium in the implants would have integrated with the surrounding bone, This is when the buried implant is exposed. The dentist does this by cutting into the gum and removing the portion covering the implant. Once the implant is exposed, the dentist can attach a healing cap to it. This will prevent the gums from growing back to cover up the implant.

Crowning
a few weeks later, when the gums surrounding the healing cap has healed, the dentist will take an impression of the area to be restored. A few more weeks later, the crowns will be ready. The dentist will first tighten an abutment into the screw well of the implant. The crown is then cemented over the abutment. The restoration is complete.

One-stage Surgery
The main reason for doing the surgery in 2 stages is to make sure that the newly placed implants can osseointegrate undisturbed. Interference can come in the form of a denture sitting directly on top of the implant. This bone surgery is actually the same as the 2-stage surgery. The only difference lies in the stitching part. The gum in this case is not stitched to cover the implant entirely. Instead, the screw cap is placed over the implant and the gum is stitched around it. There is thus no need to expose the implant at a second surgery. However, implants that are exposed before integration may fail if a denture or some other restoration sits directly on top of it (without any gum cushion). For this reason, exposed implants are often left slone in the mouth without any temporary prosthesis.