Dental Implants in the City of London: What to Expect
If you have lost a tooth, or you are living with a gap you have quietly worked around for years, a dental implant is often the closest thing modern dentistry offers to replacing it properly. Not a plate you take out at night, and not a bridge that relies on the teeth either side, but a replacement root that stays put.
For patients who work in the City, though, the first question is rarely clinical. It is practical: how much of my diary will this take, and will anyone be able to tell?
This guide walks through what implant treatment actually involves at our practice at 77 Cornhill, a few minutes from Bank station, and how the stages tend to fit around a working week.
What a dental implant actually is
An implant has three parts. A small titanium post is placed into the jawbone where the root of the missing tooth used to sit. Once it has integrated with the bone, a connector, the abutment, is fitted on top. Finally, a custom-made crown is attached, shaped and shaded to match the teeth around it.
The reason implants are held in such high regard is the middle step. Titanium has an unusual property: bone will grow directly onto its surface and bond with it, a process called osseointegration. That bond is what allows an implant to carry normal biting forces rather than simply resting on the gum.
Why replacing the tooth root matters
It is easy to think of a missing back tooth as a cosmetic non-issue, particularly if it does not show when you smile. The jawbone underneath tells a different story.
Jawbone maintains its volume because it is being loaded. Every time you bite, the root transmits force into the bone and the bone responds by renewing itself. Remove the root and that stimulus disappears, so the bone in that area gradually resorbs. Over several years this can change the way the neighbouring teeth sit, and in the front of the mouth it can begin to affect the profile of the lip and cheek.
An implant is currently the only tooth replacement that restores that loading. A bridge or a denture replaces what you can see; an implant also replaces what you cannot.
Are you a candidate?
Most adults in reasonable general health are. The assessment focuses on three things: whether there is enough healthy bone in the right place, whether the gums are stable and free of active disease, and whether anything in your medical history or habits would interfere with healing.
Uncontrolled gum disease is treated first. An implant placed into an inflamed environment is being set up to fail. Smoking meaningfully reduces success rates because it restricts the blood supply the healing site depends on. Some medications, particularly certain bone medications, and poorly controlled diabetes also need to be discussed before planning begins.
If bone volume is short, that is usually a sequencing question rather than a refusal. Grafting procedures can rebuild the site, though they add time to the overall plan.
The treatment timeline, stage by stage
Implant treatment is not one long appointment. It is a series of short ones spread over several months, with most of the elapsed time spent healing rather than in the chair.
Assessment and planning. A consultation, a 3D scan of the jaw and a discussion of what you want the end result to look like. The scan is what allows the position and angle of the implant to be planned before anything is placed.
Placement. The implant is positioned under local anaesthetic. This appointment is usually shorter than patients expect, and most people describe the sensation as pressure rather than pain. A temporary tooth can sometimes be provided so you are not left with a visible gap.
Healing. This is the long stretch, commonly a few months while the bone integrates with the implant. You carry on as normal during it. It is also the phase that makes implants easy to fit around a City diary, because it requires nothing from you but time.
The final crown. Once integration is confirmed, impressions or a digital scan are taken and the crown is made and fitted. This is where the aesthetic work happens: matching shade, shape and translucency so the result is natural rather than obvious.
Fitting implant treatment around a working week in the City
The appointments themselves are the manageable part. Placement is typically a single morning or afternoon; reviews are short. Because 77 Cornhill sits within a few minutes’ walk of Bank, Monument and Liverpool Street, most City patients treat the shorter appointments as an extended lunch break rather than a day off.
The practical points worth planning for are the first forty-eight hours after placement, when some swelling is normal and a quieter evening is sensible, and the crown-fitting appointment, which is worth not scheduling immediately before something you would rather look your best for.
If you are considering wider work, such as replacing a missing tooth while also addressing the appearance of the teeth around it, it is worth raising at the consultation stage, because a smile makeover sequenced as one plan almost always produces a more coherent result than treatments approached one at a time.
Looking after an implant
An integrated implant is not vulnerable to decay, but the gum and bone around it certainly are. Peri-implantitis, inflammation of the tissues supporting an implant, is the main long-term risk, and it behaves much like gum disease around a natural tooth.
That makes the maintenance routine unremarkable and non-negotiable: brush twice daily, clean between the teeth every day including around the implant, and keep to your hygienist appointments so the site can be monitored professionally. Implants looked after this way routinely last for decades.
Frequently asked questions
Does having a dental implant placed hurt?
The placement itself is carried out under local anaesthetic, so you should not feel pain during the procedure. Most patients report a sensation of pressure. Afterwards, mild discomfort and some swelling for a day or two is normal and usually manageable with ordinary painkillers.
How long does the whole process take?
Expect several months from consultation to final crown in a straightforward case, with most of that time spent healing rather than in appointments. Cases needing grafting take longer. You will be given a stage-by-stage timeline at your consultation so you can plan around it.
Will the implant look obviously different from my other teeth?
It should not. The crown is made individually and matched to the shade, shape and translucency of the teeth around it. The aim is a tooth nobody notices, not a tooth that stands out as new.
Can I have an implant if I have been missing the tooth for years?
Often yes, though bone will have resorbed in the time since the tooth was lost, so a graft may be needed to rebuild the site before placement. A 3D scan at the assessment stage will show what is there and what is needed.
Is an implant better than a bridge?
They solve the problem differently. An implant stands alone and preserves the bone; a bridge is supported by the adjacent teeth, which usually need to be prepared to carry it. Which is appropriate depends on the condition of those neighbouring teeth, the bone available and your own priorities. That is a discussion for the consultation rather than something to decide in advance.
Speak to us about implants near Bank
If you are weighing up a dental implant and want a clear picture of what it would involve in your case, book a consultation at our practice at 77 Cornhill in the City of London, a short walk from Bank station. You will get an assessment, a 3D scan where appropriate, and a realistic timeline before any commitment.
About the author
Dr Martin Zunde is a cosmetic and implant dentist practising at 77 Cornhill in the City of London, a few minutes from Bank station. He works with City professionals on implants, veneers, Invisalign and full smile makeovers, with an emphasis on results that look natural rather than obviously treated. GDC No. 281866.
