Teeth-in-an-Hour™ | Cost | Advantages

Teeth-in-an-Hour™ is a dental implant placement method that makes a reality the concept of instant implants. Patients with healthy jawbone can now have their dental implants placed and the restoration (crown, bridge or denture) fixed in a single appointment within one day without having to wait for months to complete the treatment.

Teeth-in-an-Hour™ is a registered trademark of Nobel Biocare, and the technology and software to produce it is patented by Nobel Biocare.

Before the development of immediate load implants, the main disadvantage with dental implants (except of their high cost) was that you had to wait for several months after the surgical placement of the implants before you get the final restorations. This waiting period can be from 2 to 6 months or even more depending on the condition of the jawbone and the position of the tooth to be replaced.

Teeth-in-an-hour is a technique that can reduce dramatically the time of the implant treatment. It is now possible to have dental implants and new, fully functioning teeth in the same appointment. The actual surgery may last just one hour but the method requires also a very important preparation phase that can range from 2 to 4 weeks.

In order to be suitable candidates for Teeth-in-an-Hour™, patients must have a healthy jawbone with sufficient bone quantity and quality to support the prosthesic restoration. Any tooth extractions and bone grafting required must be completed before the implant placement procedure.

The key of the Teeth-in-an-Hour™ method are the sophisticated radiographic techniques combined with computer technology to enable precise surgical placement of the implants. Detailed 3-D imaging allows to accurately assess bone structure, map out the areas of best bone integrity, decide the exact placement position and even create a permanent prosthesis prior to the dental surgery.

Since the implants fit exactly into the surgical sites prepared for them, there is little healing time required for the bone to fill in the gap. Implants are ready for immediate function and the restorations can be loaded right away without waiting times (immediate load implants). With Teeth-in-an-hour the process is completed in about (literally) one hour and the patient leaves with his or her final teeth at the end of the appointment.

Teeth-in-an-Hour™ procedure can be used for single tooth, multiple teeth and all teeth replacement.

The main steps of the process for the Teeth-in-an-Hour technique are the following:

• Initial dental evaluation and x-rays to determine if the patient is suitable for Teeth-in-an-Hour implants.
• CT-scans are taken to provide high precision data for dental planning.
• Computer based planning of the implant surgery on a 3-dimensional virtual model of the jaw.
• Data files with the surgical plan are sent to Nobel Biocare labs.
• Surgical guide and final or temporary prosthetics are prepared and sent back by the lab.
• Implants are surgically installed. They are placed with excellent accuracy thanks to the precision drilling aided by the surgical guide. No sutures are required and there is typically no swelling or discomfort.
• Prosthesis, either temporary or final, is fitted immediately after implant placement.
• Patient can leave the dental clinic with a functioning and beautiful smile.

The technique has become popular because of the several advantages of Teeth-in-an-Hour:

• The surgical procedure takes only an hour
• Incision free procedure — no sutures required
• Minimal discomfort, pain and swelling
• Requires fewer dental visits to complete treatment
• Teeth are perfectly tailored to fit each mouth. Teeth look and feel natural
• Immediately functioning, aesthetically pleasing teeth
• Patients resume normal activities, including eating, almost immediately

The cost of Teeth-in-an-Hour™ can vary significantly from case to case. The cost per tooth depends on a number of variables, such as the number of teeth involved, the type of restoration and several others. For more information on these variables, please see the dental implants cost page. Teeth-in-an-Hour cost is usually $2,000 to $3,000 per implant, or as much as $60,000 for the entire mouth.

In general the cost of a case using the Teeth-in-an-Hour™ technique is expected to be considerably higher than if traditional techniques were used. The higher cost is justified if you consider the sophisticated technology used, the high development costs and the additional costs of working with a long-distance laboratory from Sweden than working with a domestic laboratory.

Teeth in an Hour™ allows the possibility to provide patients fixed, well-functioning, and esthetic prostheses on implants in less than an hour. The treatment allows for a great experience for the patient with greatly reduced healing time, no temporaries and no significant pain or swelling.