Teeth in a Day: The Facts
It's a catchy phrase, so it pays to know what lies behind it: what you leave with on surgery day, what happens next, who it suits, and what to ask any clinic that offers it.
Is Teeth in a Day Available in Lanark, and What Happens on the Day?
Yes. Two of our four full-arch pathways are built around it: Same-Day Fixed Teeth, at £13,500 an arch, and Premium Guided Zirconia, at £14,950. On either, most patients go home from surgery with a fixed temporary bridge already screwed onto their new implants, and that is part of the fee. The same-day teeth are a strong interim set; your permanent bridge goes in around three months later, once bone has bonded securely to the implants. The CT scan at your consultation tells us whether same-day teeth are likely in your case.
What the Phrase Means
Teeth in a day, same-day teeth, a new smile in a day: the wording changes from advert to advert, but the treatment behind it doesn't. In a single appointment, teeth that are failing are taken out, implants are placed in the jaw, and a fixed bridge is screwed to them before you leave. There's no stretch of months in a removable denture while you heal.
This works because an implant that is held tightly by the bone the moment it goes in can cope with light forces straight away. Linking several implants with one bridge also steadies each of them, in the way the legs of a table support one another, while bone grows over their surface.
What the Day Doesn't Include
The bridge you receive on the day is a temporary one. It's sturdy and looks natural, but it is deliberately made lighter and simpler, because its job is to shield implants that are still healing rather than handle full chewing forces. You'll stick to soft food while you have it.
The permanent bridge is made separately, from a digital scan taken when the implants are solid, usually about three months later, in acrylic / PMMA on Same-Day or zirconia on a titanium bar on Premium. So the treatment as a whole takes longer than a day: consultation and planning come first and the final teeth come at the end. What does happen in one day is the step most people fear, moving from failing teeth to fixed ones with no toothless stage in between.
Are Same-Day Teeth Possible for You?
A free consultation and CT scan in Lanark gives you a clear answer either way.
Who Same-Day Teeth Suit
The approach tends to work well if you:
- are losing all or nearly all of the teeth in one jaw (a jaw that has already healed under a full denture is usually treated on our Healed Foundation pathway instead)
- have bone firm enough for the implants to grip securely, which your CT scan will show
- have healthy gums, or have had any gum disease treated beforehand
- don't smoke, or are willing to give up, as smoking harms healing more than anything else within your control
Most people who need a full arch meet these points. Where the bone is soft and an implant doesn't achieve the grip we need on the day, we leave it to heal without load first and fit the fixed teeth a little later. We'll tell you at the consultation which is more likely, though the final decision is made on the day, once we've measured how firm each implant is. 1 Your written plan explains what happens in that case, and your pathway's fee is unchanged either way.
A Single Tooth on the Same Day
The principle can also work for one front tooth. If the gum and socket are healthy once the tooth is out, Dr Kalsi can sometimes place an implant into the socket straight away and fit a temporary crown in the same visit. That crown is shaped so it doesn't take the bite while the implant heals, and the permanent crown is made some months later.
If loading the implant immediately isn't safe, the space is filled with a bonded temporary bridge or a small denture instead. A single implant with its crown starts at £2,775.
How Surgery Day Runs
- Planning first. The CT scan we take here is used to place each implant on screen. On Premium, that plan is also turned into a custom 3D-printed surgical guide, and either way we can make the temporary bridge ahead of time.
- Keeping you comfortable. Local anaesthetic numbs your mouth. Most patients add IV sedation, at £500 a session, so they feel calm and remember little afterwards.
- Placing the implants. Any teeth still present come out. Dr Kalsi then places the MegaGen AnyRidge implants, between four and six, using the MegaGen R2 guide if you're on Premium. We measure how firmly each one is held.
- Attaching the bridge. When the implants are stable enough, the temporary bridge is screwed in and your bite is adjusted to meet evenly.
- Heading home. Someone will need to collect you. You leave with written aftercare advice and a number to call.
For a fuller account of the day, read our guide to implant surgery day.
The Months of Healing
For roughly three months you'll eat soft food and clean carefully around the temporary bridge using the small brushes we provide. Review appointments let us keep an eye on your gums and bite. When the implants are secure, we take a digital scan for the permanent bridge, then fit and fine-tune it. After that, a hygiene visit every three months keeps your guarantee valid. Our guide to living with full-arch implants explains eating and cleaning in more detail.
What It Costs
Two of our four pathways include same-day fixed teeth. The Same-Day Fixed Teeth pathway costs £13,500 an arch and finishes with an acrylic / PMMA bridge. Premium Guided Zirconia, at £14,950, brings more detailed digital planning, a custom R2 surgical guide and a zirconia-on-titanium bridge. 2 Both include the scan and planning, removal of your remaining teeth, routine grafting if it's needed, between four and six implants, the fixed temporaries when the bone allows, the permanent bridge and reviews until treatment is complete. We don't charge extra for the same-day teeth, and if your bone means they have to wait, your pathway fee doesn't change. Where fixed teeth on the day aren't part of the plan, Healed Foundation (from £9,300, for a jaw that has already healed) and Staged Treatment (£11,500) use a denture while you heal. Every item is listed in our guide to All-on-4 costs.
Questions for Any Clinic Offering It
- Is the cost of the same-day teeth included, or charged on top?
- If an implant isn't stable enough to load on the day, what happens next?
- Will my implants be placed using a 3D scan and a printed surgical guide?
- Is the dentist who plans my treatment the one who places the implants and looks after me afterwards?
- What material will the permanent bridge be, and when will it go in?
Nobody can promise same-day teeth before scanning you, because until then they simply don't know.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.