Teeth in a Day Explained
"Teeth in a day" is a helpful phrase, but it can give the impression that treatment is finished in a day. It isn't. Here is what actually happens on the day, over the following months, and how to tell whether it suits you.
Can I Really Get Teeth in a Day with Implants in Edinburgh?
Yes, for many people where the bone allows: implants are placed and a fixed temporary bridge is attached on the same day or within a day or so, so you don't go without teeth. The final, stronger bridge is fitted a few months later once the implants have healed. At Comely Bank Dental in Edinburgh, fixed teeth on surgery day come with our Premium zirconia package (£18,500 an arch), which is planned on a 3D CT scan and confirmed in writing before treatment.
What Does 'Teeth in a Day' Actually Mean?
Teeth in a day means you have your implants placed and leave with fixed teeth attached to them, rather than going home with a gap or a removable denture. The teeth you leave with are a temporary bridge, usually fitted the same day or within a day or so of surgery.
What it doesn't mean is that treatment is finished in a day. The implants need around three to six months to fuse with the bone. During that time you wear the temporary bridge and eat a soft diet. Your final bridge, which is stronger and more refined, is made and fitted once healing is complete.
At Comely Bank Dental in Edinburgh, fixed teeth on the day come only with the Premium zirconia package (£18,500 an arch) of our full-arch implant treatment. Our other two packages use a denture while the implants heal instead: on the Healed ridge package (£12,500 an arch) you keep wearing your existing denture for about three months, and on the With extractions package (£15,000 an arch) you have a removable temporary denture from the day your teeth are taken out.
What Happens Before the Day?
Most of the work that makes same-day teeth possible happens beforehand.
- Consultation. At a free implant consultation at our Comely Bank practice, we talk about your teeth, your health and what you'd like to achieve, and examine your mouth and bite.
- 3D CT scan. A cone beam CT scan (£160) shows your bone in three dimensions, along with the sinuses and nerves.
- Digital impressions. An iTero scan records your teeth and gums without traditional impression putty.
- Planning. The implant positions are planned on the scan, and the temporary bridge is designed around how your teeth should look and meet.
- Surgical guide. On the Premium zirconia package, advanced digital planning is turned into a custom 3D-printed guide using the MegaGen R2 system.
- Written plan. You receive your fees in writing, along with the alternatives and risks, before anything is booked.
Are Same-Day Teeth for You?
Book a free implant consultation. We'll check your bone and bite, explain what your treatment day would look like and set out the fees in writing.
What Happens on the Treatment Day?
On the Premium zirconia package, a typical treatment day for one arch runs like this, although every case is different:
- Getting comfortable. Treatment is done under local anaesthetic. Many people also choose IV sedation, which leaves you deeply relaxed and with little memory of the procedure.
- Removing remaining teeth. Any teeth that can't be saved are removed and the sockets cleaned.
- Placing the implants. Four to six implants are placed through your custom surgical guide. The back implants may be angled to make the most of the available bone.
- Checking stability. Each implant's firmness in the bone is measured. This decides whether a fixed bridge can be attached straight away.
- Fitting the temporary bridge. Once the gums are stitched, the temporary bridge is adjusted for your bite and screwed into place, sometimes after a short wait while final adjustments are made.
Most of the day is spent waiting and adjusting rather than in surgery. You'll need someone to take you home, particularly if you have had sedation.
Who Is Suitable for Same-Day Teeth?
Suitability comes down to three things.
Bone. The implants must be firm enough on the day to carry a bridge straight away. Angled implants help where bone is limited at the back, but if the bone is very soft or thin, same-day loading may not be safe.
General health. Uncontrolled diabetes, heavy smoking, some bone-strengthening medicines and radiotherapy to the jaw can all affect healing. None of these automatically rules you out, but they need careful assessment, and smoking in particular raises the risk of an implant failing.
Bite. Clenching and grinding put heavy forces on new implants. If you grind, the plan may include more implants, a more cautious approach or a night guard once treatment is complete.
Because so much rests on the bone, nobody can promise same-day teeth until the implants are in and their stability has been measured. Should the implants not hold firmly enough for fixed teeth that day, you wear a temporary denture while they heal instead, and that alternative is described in your written plan beforehand. The end result can be the same; only the healing period is different, and your Premium zirconia package fee stays exactly as agreed. If your scan and examination suggest same-day teeth won't suit you, we'll explain which of our other packages would.
How Is the Temporary Bridge Different From the Final One?
| Feature | Temporary bridge | Final bridge |
|---|---|---|
| When | Treatment day or within a day or so | Typically three to six months later |
| Material | Lightweight acrylic | Zirconia on a custom-milled titanium bar, included in the Premium zirconia package |
| Purpose | Protects healing implants and lets you smile and eat soft food | Long-term strength, detail and fit |
| Shape | Slightly shorter at the back to reduce load | Full shape designed around your healed gums |
Your gums change shape as they heal, so the temporary bridge may develop small gaps underneath it. That is expected, and it is one reason the final bridge is made only once things have settled.
What Is the Healing Timeline?
Everyone heals differently, but a typical timeline looks like this:
- First few days. Swelling and bruising, usually at their worst around day two or three, managed with painkillers and cold compresses. A liquid or very soft diet.
- First two weeks. A review to check healing and remove stitches if needed. Most people return to work within a few days to a week.
- Weeks two to twelve. A soft diet that you can cut with a fork, avoiding biting into anything hard with your front teeth. Careful cleaning around the bridge.
- Around three to six months. Once the implants have fused with the bone, your new bridge is designed and fitted over a few visits.
Our aftercare page has more detail on looking after your mouth in the early weeks.
What Are the Risks?
Same-day teeth have a good track record when cases are selected and planned carefully, but you should know the risks before deciding.
- Implant failure. Occasionally an implant doesn't fuse with the bone, more often in smokers and people with poorly controlled diabetes. It can usually be replaced after healing.
- Overloading. Biting on hard food too early can disturb a healing implant, which is why the soft diet matters.
- Infection and inflammation around the implants, both early on and in later years if cleaning is difficult.
- Breakage of the temporary bridge, which is designed to be lighter than the final one and may need repair.
- Numbness in the lip or chin if a nerve is affected, which is uncommon and the reason careful scanning and planning are important.
Results vary, and no dentist can promise a particular outcome. We'll explain the risks that apply to your case at your consultation.
How Much Does Teeth in a Day Cost?
Same-day teeth are built into the Premium zirconia package fee rather than charged on their own, so if your bone means they can't be fitted on the day, you don't pay any less or any more. At Comely Bank Dental, the Premium zirconia package costs £18,500 an arch. That pays for taking out any remaining failing teeth, any routine grafting, advanced digital planning with a custom-made surgical guide, between four and six implants, your fixed temporaries and final zirconia teeth set on a custom-milled titanium bar.
If you don't need fixed teeth on the day, our other two packages cost less and finish with a fixed acrylic / PMMA bridge. The With extractions package, £15,000 an arch, takes out failing teeth, and you wear a removable temporary denture through the healing months. The Healed ridge package, £12,500 an arch, is for a jaw that has already healed without teeth, and you wear your existing denture for about three months. We quote separately for sedation, sinus procedures and bone augmentation beyond routine grafting, and each arch carries its own fee.
Among Edinburgh practices that publish their fees (October 2026), full-arch prices run from about £9,500 to £22,000 per arch. When comparing, check whether a quote includes both the temporary and the final bridge, the CT scan and the review visits.
Your written treatment plan sets out every fee before you commit.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.