Dental Implant Case Study
The Problem: A Front Tooth That Couldn’t Be Saved
The tooth was #9, one of the upper central incisors, and it had cracked to the point where the remaining structure couldn’t support a crown or other restoration.
The X-ray below shows why. The vertical fracture line runs down through the root, and the surrounding bone shows the early signs of infection that follow a compromised tooth. Once a fracture reaches this stage, the tooth isn’t a candidate for repair but requires a tooth extraction.
X-ray showing fractured tooth #9 before extraction.
For a visible front tooth, waiting is its own problem.
Missing or visibly damaged front teeth affect confidence in everyday interactions, and options like flippers or dentures are removable, not permanent. Dr. Barooty’s patient didn’t want to wait for months and months to get a restored tooth and was worried about appearances. For a front tooth such as this, the patient had the obvious question: how can we make the process faster?
Quick Answer: Same-Day Dental Implant
An immediate or same-day dental implant is placed during the same appointment as the tooth extraction, eliminating the wait for the extraction socket to heal before implant placement.
Dr. Arian Barooty extracted the tooth and placed the implant in the same visit, then delivered the final crown four months later once the implant had fully fused with the jawbone (a process called osseointegration). Choosing the immediate approach let the patient skip an extra four months of waiting before the implant itself could even be placed, whilst not sacrificing the strength or appearance of the final result.
X-ray showing immediate dental implant placed at tooth #9.
Can a Dental Implant Be Placed Immediately After Extraction?
Traditionally, replacing a tooth with a dental implant is a two-stage process.
First, the damaged tooth is extracted, and the socket is left to heal for three to four months. Only after that healing period does the dentist place the implant post, followed by another few months of healing before the final crown goes on.
The surgery to place the implant was completed during the same procedure as the extraction. At Lawndale Dental Group, Dr. Barooty can confidently reduce the healing time by combining the first two stages. Instead of extracting the tooth and waiting, Dr. Barooty removed the fractured tooth #9 and placed the implant, made of titanium, into the socket in the same appointment. The X-ray above shows the implant fixture seated in the bone immediately after placement.
What Does Immediate/Same-Day Mean?
It’s worth being precise about what “immediate” means here: this refers to same-day extraction and implant placement and not a same-day finished tooth. The implant post still needs several months to fuse with the jawbone before a final crown can be safely attached. In this case, that meant the implant was placed on day one, and the final crown followed four months later.
Am I a Candidate for an Immediate Implant?
Immediate placement isn’t possible for every extraction. It depends on several factors together, not any single one in isolation:
- Adequate bone volume at the extraction site
- Healthy surrounding gum tissue
- Ability to achieve initial implant stability in the socket
- No active infection at the site
- Tooth and root anatomy that allows predictable, precise placement
- Overall health and healing factors specific to the patient
With proper diagnostics and imaging, Dr. Barooty and his team evaluate each of these factors together to determine whether immediate implant placement is appropriate. When the anatomy allows it, immediate placement gives the patient a meaningful head start on treatment.
What Are the Risks or Limitations of Immediate Implant Placement?
Immediate placement isn’t the right choice for every extraction, and that’s an important part of an honest evaluation.
If there’s active infection, insufficient bone volume, unstable gum tissue, or if the implant can’t achieve enough initial stability in the socket, a delayed approach is usually the safer, more predictable path.
Placing an implant into a site that isn’t ready can increase the risk of implant failure or complications down the line.
This is why a thorough exam and imaging come before any decision. Immediate placement is an option when the case supports it, not a default.
Benefits of Immediate Dental Implant Placement
Choosing an immediate implant instead of the traditional delayed approach saved this patient roughly four months.
In general, immediate placement can offer:
- Fewer separate treatment stages, since extraction and implant placement happen in one visit
- Less time wearing a temporary bridge or denture or living with a gap while the socket heals separately
- Immediate progress toward the treatment plan, instead of a multi-month pause before the implant is even placed
- A potentially shorter overall timeline from damaged tooth to finished restoration
For a front tooth, that time savings is felt every single day, not just at the end of treatment!
The Recovery: Healing and Osseointegration
Healing after immediate implant placement happens in stages.
Soft-tissue healing around the gum line typically progresses over the first few weeks.
Osseointegration continues for months before the implant is ready to support a final crown.
Only after osseointegration is confirmed does the practice move to designing and delivering the permanent restoration.
The photo below was taken shortly after placement, showing the healing gum tissue and sutures around the implant site.
Healing gum tissue after immediate implant placement.
In this case, the implant was allowed four months to integrate before the final crown was placed.
Healing timelines vary by patient and treatment site; your dentist will determine when the implant is ready for its final restoration based on your own healing progress, not a fixed calendar.
The Result
Four months after the extraction and implant placement, Dr. Barooty delivered the final crown. The photo below shows the completed restoration.
Final implant crown replacing upper front tooth #9.
The patient reported that the new tooth looked natural, felt solid when biting and speaking, and that the entire process, from the initial fracture to the finished crown, went far more smoothly than expected.
With this concern resolved, the patient was able to move forward with the rest of their cosmetic and restorative treatment plan without a compromised front tooth complicating the picture.
Same Day Dental Implants in Lawndale, CA
Dental Implant
From $2499
Includes :
- Implant, Abutment & Crown
- CT Scan
0% 24 Month
$99 Per Month Zero Down Payment Needed
Free Initial Consultation
($150* Value)
Have a damaged or missing front tooth? If you’re in Lawndale, CA and dealing with a fractured, infected, or missing tooth and want to know whether an immediate implant is an option for you, contact Lawndale Dental Group at 310-692-9766 or schedule a consultation online.
Key Takeaway
Immediate dental implants allow an implant to be placed during the same appointment as tooth extraction, when the site has adequate bone and healthy tissue.
In this case, immediate placement eliminated approximately four months of waiting before the implant could even go in, while the final crown was still delivered after four months of healing — the same amount of time a traditional implant would need to integrate, just without the extra delay beforehand.
About the Dentist
Medically Reviewed By
Education: Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry at USC
Clinical focus: Restorative and cosmetic dentistry, implant placement, full-arch restoration, minimally invasive and anxiety-free care
Practice: Lawndale Dental Group, 15228 Hawthorne Blvd Suite A, Lawndale, CA 90260
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an immediate dental implant?
An immediate dental implant is placed into the jawbone on the same day a damaged tooth is extracted, rather than waiting several months for the extraction site to heal first. This can shorten overall treatment time when the bone and gum tissue at the site are healthy enough to support the implant right away.
Can an immediate implant be placed for any extraction?
No. Immediate placement depends on the amount of healthy bone remaining, the condition of the surrounding gum tissue, and whether there’s active infection at the site. A dentist has to evaluate the extraction site directly to determine whether immediate placement, delayed placement, or an option like All-on-4 implants is the safer, more predictable choice.
How long does healing take after an immediate implant?
This healthy, young patient needed four months to fully integrate with the jawbone before the final crown could be placed. Healing time can vary and is often cited as being between 3–6 months, depending on the patient’s bone density, overall health, and the specific location of the implant.
Can a front tooth receive an immediate implant?
Yes, as this case shows. Front teeth are visible and functionally important, so candidacy and aesthetic planning matter even more. Once healed and restored with a final crown, an immediately placed implant looks and functions the same as one placed using the traditional, staged approach — the same natural result you’d expect from a smile makeover. The difference is in the timeline, not the end result.