The titanium implant post itself, once fused to the jawbone, typically lasts a lifetime with good oral hygiene and regular checkups. The crown on top usually lasts over a decade before it needs to be replaced due to normal wear. Implants in Denver, Boulder, or Brighton all follow the same standard: long-term success rates are consistently high when placed by an experienced oral surgeon and properly maintained.

For most patients, yes, implants are the only option that replaces the tooth root, not just the crown, which means they preserve jawbone density instead of letting it shrink over time (a common problem with dentures and bridges). They also don’t rely on healthy neighboring teeth for support the way a bridge does. Bridges and dentures are cheaper upfront and don’t require surgery, so they’re still reasonable choices for some patients, but implants generally win on longevity, comfort, and long-term jaw health.

Traditional implants replace teeth one at a time, meaning each missing tooth gets its own implant post — a good fit if you’re only missing one or a few teeth. All-on-4® takes a different approach for patients missing most or all of their teeth in an arch: instead of placing eight, ten, or more individual implants, the surgeon places just four implants at carefully calculated angles, using the densest available jawbone, and attaches a full arch of replacement teeth to them. Because it uses fewer implants and often allows a temporary bridge to be attached the same day as surgery, All-on-4 tends to be faster and less expensive than replacing every tooth individually, and it can work even for patients who’ve experienced some bone loss, since the angled placement avoids areas where bone has thinned

It depends on how much healthy bone is available and whether the extraction site is infection-free. In the best cases, the implant can be placed the same day as the extraction, since immediate placement avoids a second surgery and shortens the overall treatment timeline. If the tissue needs more time to settle, the surgeon will often wait 6 to 12 weeks after extraction, once the gum has healed enough to work with. In cases where the socket has lost bone volume or requires grafting to build a stable foundation, the timeline stretches to 4 to 6 months or more to give the graft time to integrate before the implant is placed. An oral surgeon will decide which of these timelines applies after an exam and imaging, and this evaluation process is the same whether you’re being seen in Denver, Boulder, or Brighton.

In general, plan on a soft diet for the first few days, with hydration as the top priority. Aim for at least five to six glasses of fluid a day, since limited food intake early on makes it easy to get dehydrated, and skipping meals will only slow healing and leave you feeling weaker and more uncomfortable. Avoid straws for the first 5–7 days, since the sucking motion can dislodge the healing blood clot and cause more bleeding, and steer clear of hot liquids or food right after surgery. If you had general anesthesia or IV sedation, start with liquids before easing into anything solid. Once you’re ready to eat, choose soft, high-protein, high-calorie foods and chew away from the surgical site to protect it while it heals.

The exact timeline varies by procedure, and our surgeon will guide you through the process.

Coverage depends heavily on the specifics of your plan, so the most reliable way to know what’s covered is to contact the office directly and have your benefits verified before treatment. Since every plan is different, the Denver OMS team can check your specific benefits and walk you through what’s covered, what isn’t, and what financing options are available for any remaining cost.

Denver Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, led by Dr. Matthew Schacht, is a solid option with three Front Range locations:

• Denver — 130 Rampart Way, Suite 100 (Lowry neighborhood)
• Boulder — 2625 28th Street
• Brighton — 4700 E Bromley Ln, Suite #105

Dr. Schacht is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon trained at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, with a residency at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital and a fellowship focused on TMJ and orthognathic surgery in Dallas. The practice treats missing teeth, tooth extractions, wisdom teeth, oral pathology, and facial trauma reconstruction, and no referral is required to book a consultation directly. You can reach the main office at (303) 341-7151.