Dental Implants in Jeddah

What is a dental implant?

An implant is a titanium post placed where the missing tooth root used to be. The bone fuses with it during a healing phase called osseointegration, after which a natural-looking crown is fitted on top.

A complete implant has three parts: the fixture in the bone, the abutment connecting it to the crown, and the visible crown itself. Knowing these parts matters when comparing prices, because some offers quote only the first.

Implants can replace a single missing tooth, several teeth, or a full arch, and are a fixed alternative that does not need daily removal like conventional dentures.

Their most important advantage is that they leave neighbouring teeth alone. A conventional bridge requires filing down the adjacent teeth to carry the missing one, whereas an implant stands on its own.

An implant also preserves jawbone: the artificial root stimulates the bone much as the natural root did, slowing the resorption that begins once a tooth is lost.

What happens if a missing tooth is not replaced?

Bone resorption begins within the first months after extraction and continues gradually, making a later implant harder and sometimes requiring a bone graft.

Neighbouring teeth start to tilt into the gap, and the opposing tooth in the other jaw can over-erupt into the empty space, disturbing the bite.

Chewing shifts to the other side, increasing load there and affecting the jaw joint over time.

This is why replacing sooner keeps the plan simpler and the result better.

Are you a suitable candidate?

Stable general health: chronic conditions do not rule implants out, but they need to be controlled. Well-managed diabetes is not a barrier, whereas uncontrolled diabetes slows healing.

Enough bone at the site, or the ability to build it with a graft before placement.

Healthy gums free of active infection — gum disease is treated first, since it is a leading cause of later implant failure.

A commitment to oral hygiene and follow-up, because an implant needs care exactly like a natural tooth.

Smoking is not an absolute barrier, but it raises the risk of problems around the implant, and reducing or stopping at least during healing is advised.

Age itself is not an obstacle; what matters is completed jaw growth in younger patients, and bone condition and general health in older ones.

The stages of treatment, step by step

Consultation and diagnosis: clinical examination and 3D imaging to measure bone density and height and to map the implant position against the nerve and sinus. This stage determines the success of everything after it.

Preparation where needed: treating any decay or gum inflammation, extracting a remaining root, and grafting bone if there is not enough.

Placement: under local anaesthetic, usually thirty to sixty minutes for a single implant. The gum is gently opened, the site prepared in the bone, and the implant placed with calculated stability.

Osseointegration: usually three to six months — shorter in the lower jaw because its bone is denser, longer in the upper jaw or after grafting.

Abutment and impressions: once integration is confirmed on imaging, the abutment is fitted and precise impressions taken for the crown.

The final crown: tried in, bite and shade adjusted, then fitted. At this point the tooth is back in normal function.

Immediate implants

In selected cases the implant can be placed immediately after extraction in the same visit, reducing the number of appointments and overall treatment time while preserving the gum contour.

The essential conditions are the absence of active infection and enough bone to give the implant good primary stability.

Suitability for immediate placement is decided after assessing the bone and gum during the consultation — not every case is a candidate.

Full-arch implants: All-on-4 and All-on-6

For patients who have lost most or all of their teeth, All-on-4 and All-on-6 provide a full fixed arch supported by just four or six implants rather than one per tooth.

The idea is that the two posterior implants are placed at a calculated angle to use the available bone, which means many cases need less extensive grafting.

This restores fixed teeth and confidence in chewing and smiling without a removable denture taken out daily.

After the implant: recovery and care

First 24–48 hours: mild swelling and discomfort are expected. Cold compresses externally, soft food, and avoiding vigorous rinsing and spitting.

First week: clear gradual improvement, keeping to prescribed medication and gentle rinses after the first day.

During integration: careful daily cleaning around the implant, and avoiding heavy load on it until fusion is complete.

After the final crown: the implant needs brushing and flossing like a natural tooth, with extra care at the gum margin. Regular professional cleaning is what protects it from peri-implantitis.

See the dentist promptly for persistent bleeding, swelling that increases after day three, or any noticeable movement of the implant.

The risks, honestly

Implants succeed in the large majority of cases, but any surgical procedure carries possibilities you should know before consenting.

Peri-implantitis: inflammation of the surrounding tissue from plaque build-up, the most common cause of late problems — preventable with hygiene and follow-up.

Failure to integrate: uncommon, most often linked to smoking, insufficient bone, or loading the implant too early. Where it happens, re-implantation is usually possible after the site heals.

Proximity to the nerve in the lower jaw or the sinus in the upper jaw: precisely what 3D imaging reveals beforehand so the plan can avoid it.

Discussing these possibilities in advance is part of the treatment, not alarmism — a patient who knows what to expect recovers better.

Why Dr. Ghias Attar?

26 years of practice in oral surgery and implantology in Saudi Arabia, with ICOI certification in implantology and membership of the Saudi Dental Society.

A specialty covering both surgery and aesthetics, so the whole plan is delivered by one clinician rather than split across clinics.

Accurate diagnosis and a clear plan whose cost and duration you know before starting, with follow-up that does not end when the crown is fitted.

The clinic is at Dr. Salem Basaffar Center in Al Zahra, Jeddah, with easy booking by phone or WhatsApp.