After a Dental Implant in the UAE: The 6-Month Timeline That Determines Success

Osseointegration — the fusion of titanium to bone — takes 3–4 months in the lower jaw, 4–6 months in the upper. What you do during those months determines whether your implant lasts 20 years or fails at year two. ### Week 0 (surgery day) - Gauze pressure 30 min - Ice 20/20 for 6 hours - Amoxicillin 500 mg TDS × 5 days (or clindamycin if penicillin-allergic) - Chlorhexidine 0.12% rinse from day 2, twice daily × 14 days ### Week 1–2 - Soft cold diet; nothing chewed on the implant side - Sleep elevated for 3 nights - Suture removal day 7–10 - No shisha, cigarettes or vaping (halves implant survival at year 5) ### Week 2–8: Osseointegration begins - Return to normal diet on opposite side - Gentle brushing over the site; interdental brush around the healing cap - Warm saline rinse after meals ### Month 2–4: Restorative planning - Follow-up X-ray at 8 weeks confirms bone contact - Impression / scan for the abutment and crown - Provisional crown may be placed if aesthetic zone (upper front) ### Month 4–6: Final crown - Fitted, cemented or screw-retained - Bite refinement — implant crowns should be slightly under-loaded compared to natural teeth ### Lifetime maintenance - Professional hygiene every 6 months (3–4 months if periodontitis history) - Nightly interdental brushing around the implant crown - No metal instruments during scaling (special peek/plastic tips) ### Cost pattern (Dubai, per implant) - Implant + surgery: AED 5,500–12,000 - Abutment + crown: AED 3,500–6,500 - Bone graft (if needed): AED 2,000–5,500 - **Full case bundled: AED 9,500–22,000** ### Warning signs post-op - Persistent bleeding beyond 24 hours - Numbness of the lower lip/chin (inferior alveolar nerve injury) — urgent same-day call - Loose healing cap — usually easy fix, but call within 48 hours - Purulent discharge — early peri-implantitis Solis Dental Clinic uses guided-surgery templates and 3-month recall protocols specifically to minimise peri-implantitis, a leading cause of late-stage failure.