A patient holding a framed photograph of his mouth before implant treatment
HomeImplantsNear Reston

Dental Implants near Reston, VA

A single missing tooth, start to finish.

From Reston, Dr. Esam Nahlah's Tysons Corner office is about 15 minutes away without traffic, almost all of it on the Dulles Toll Road. This page follows one implant tooth from the first scan to the crown you chew with, and explains what the healing months ask of you.

Book in Tysons CornerSee the timeline
8.4 miReston to the Tysons Corner office
15 minWithout traffic, via the toll road
~4 moFor the post to fuse with the bone
The Timeline

How one implant tooth comes together.

Allow a few months at the least, and more than a year when a tooth must come out or the bone needs building up before the post can go in.

The bench and stereo microscope in the practice's in-house laboratory01

Scan and examination

Dr. Nahlah studies the gap, the teeth on each side of it and the bone beneath it on a cone-beam scan. You find out whether one implant will work, what it costs and roughly how long it will take.

A patient resting with her eyes closed in the chair under sedation02

Preparation, only if needed

A failing tooth may need removing first, or thin bone may need a graft, which adds several months of healing before placement.

A clinician showing a patient their X-ray beside an implant model03

Placement day

Placement itself generally takes a few hours. Dr. Nahlah works through a surgical guide made from your scan, and nitrous oxide or oral sedation is there if you want it. Where the case allows, it can be placed at the same visit the tooth is taken out.

Close-up of a smile after full-arch implant treatment, with natural-looking upper and lower teeth04

The crown

When the post has fused, roughly four months later, a crown from the practice's own lab is fitted and its bite adjusted.

1Post and crown for each missing tooth
A few hoursUsual length of the placement visit
1 weekUntil most people resume normal activity
6 moCleanings afterwards, as for any tooth
A patient resting with her eyes closed in the chair under sedation
Afterwards

The weeks after the post goes in.

Most patients take a few days easy and are doing their usual things again inside a week. What lasts longer is the eating: soft food for the months it takes bone to grow onto the titanium.

  • Placement day: after oral sedation, someone else drives you there and home
  • The next few days: mild soreness, usually managed with over-the-counter pain relief
  • Through the healing months: a temporary tooth fills the gap
  • Chewing: soft foods only, until the implant has integrated
  • Check-ups along the way confirm the post is fusing

Once the crown is on, the implant is brushed and flossed like the teeth around it, with a hygiene visit every six months. Those visits are also the one condition of the five-year warranty.

The glass entrance to the practice's building at 7901 Jones Branch Drive
From Reston

Dulles Toll Road east, then Westpark Drive.

  • 8.4 miles from Reston, about 15 minutes without traffic
  • The office: Suite 220, 7901 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22102
  • Parking sits beneath the building, and the suite is on the second floor
  • Open from 8 each weekday; closing at 5 pm Monday–Thursday and at 2 pm on Fridays
  • New patients call (703) 448-3312; returning patients call (571) 702-9832

Route from Reston on Google Maps

Results

Two implant cases from the gallery.

Case 42, veneers and implants: smile before treatment by prosthodontist Dr. Esam Nahlah, Northern VirginiaCase 42, veneers and implants: smile after treatment by prosthodontist Dr. Esam Nahlah, Northern VirginiaBeforeAfter
Veneers and implants · case 42
Case 45, veneers and implants: smile before treatment by prosthodontist Dr. Esam Nahlah, Northern VirginiaCase 45, veneers and implants: smile after treatment by prosthodontist Dr. Esam Nahlah, Northern VirginiaBeforeAfter
Veneers and implants · case 45

All cases in the gallery

Questions

Single-implant questions from Reston.

How long is the drive from Reston to the office?
About 8.4 miles. Without traffic it takes around 15 minutes, nearly all of it on the Dulles Toll Road, to Suite 220 at 7901 Jones Branch Drive in McLean.Directions from Reston →
Can one tooth be replaced without touching the teeth beside it?
Yes. A single implant is one post carrying one crown, so the healthy teeth either side stay as they are. A conventional bridge, by contrast, usually means reshaping those two neighbors to hold it.Bridges compared →
Will I have a gap while the implant heals?
Usually not. In many cases a temporary is worn while the post fuses, and the permanent crown takes its place once integration is complete.
Can the implant go in the day the tooth comes out?
Sometimes. Where the case allows, Dr. Nahlah places the implant at the extraction appointment, which saves a separate healing phase and a second surgery. Your scan shows whether that is possible.Same-day implants →
What can I eat after implant surgery?
Soft foods, for the several months it takes the post to integrate with the jaw. It is the part of recovery patients most often underestimate, and it protects the implant while bone grows onto it.
How long does a single implant last?
Implants are designed to last for decades and may last a lifetime; brushing, flossing and six-monthly cleanings are what protect them. Since implants first came into use, their published success rate has stayed above 95%.

Keep reading.

Book your single-implant consultation.

Reston patients call (571) 702-9832 for the Tysons Corner office, or book online below.