Dental Implant Restoration
Teaneck, NJ & Roselle, NJ
 Whether you have an implant placed elsewhere that’s now ready for its crown, an existing implant restoration that’s failing or worn out, or you’re at the restoration phase of an implant we placed, dental implant restoration at RJ Dental in Teaneck and Roselle, NJ is the second half of getting your tooth back. Implant restoration is the work of designing, fabricating, and placing the abutment and crown that sit on top of an already-integrated implant post. We do this for our own implant patients and for patients who had their implant placed at another practice and need it restored.
The implant restoration step is what most patients actually see. The implant post itself is hidden under the gum during healing. The visible result, what looks like a tooth in your mouth, is the restoration we make and seat. Done well, it matches the surrounding teeth in shade, shape, and contour, lasts for years, and feels like part of your natural smile. Done poorly, it stands out, fits awkwardly, or fails early.
Our dental implant services include both placement and restoration. This page focuses on the restoration phase, whether your implant was placed elsewhere, your existing restoration is failing, or you’re at the restoration stage of treatment. For new implants from start to finish, the broader dental implant page covers the full picture.
On This Page
What Is Dental Implant Restoration?
Dental implant restoration is the process of designing and placing the visible part of an implant: the abutment that connects to the implant post, and the crown, bridge, or denture that sits on the abutment. The implant post itself is the metal screw that integrates with your jawbone over several months. The restoration is what we make and place once that integration is complete.
Restoration timing depends on whether your implant was placed at our practice or elsewhere. For implants we placed, we already have your records, surgical position data, and digital impressions on file, so the restoration phase moves directly from healing to fabrication. For implants placed elsewhere, we start with a fresh evaluation: cone beam imaging, clinical exam, and digital impressions of your existing implant and the surrounding teeth.
The Three-Part System
 A complete dental implant has three parts: the implant post (the titanium screw integrated with your jawbone), the abutment (the connector that screws into the implant and supports the crown), and the crown (the visible tooth-shaped restoration). Implant restoration is the work that produces and places parts two and three.
Two main attachment styles exist for the crown. Screw-retained restorations have a small access channel through the top of the crown, allowing us to remove and replace the crown later if needed without damaging it. Cement-retained restorations have no access channel; we bond them to the abutment with dental cement, which gives a slightly more natural appearance with no visible access point. The choice between them depends on the position of the implant, the angle of the abutment, and the visibility of the tooth in your smile. We discuss the trade-offs at your evaluation.
Restoration Types: Single Tooth, Multiple, Full Arch
Single-tooth restorations are the most common: one implant supports one crown, replacing one missing tooth. The full procedure on this page applies most directly to single-tooth cases. The companion single tooth dental implants page covers the placement phase that precedes restoration.
Multi-tooth restorations include implant-supported bridges (two or more implants supporting a row of crowns) and partial denture conversions. The fabrication is more complex but the patient experience at restoration is similar.
Full-arch restorations replace an entire upper or lower arch of teeth on four to six implants. Our implant-supported dentures page covers full-arch cases in detail. The restoration phase for full-arch involves a temporary bridge during healing followed by the permanent restoration.
Replacing or Repairing Existing Restorations
Implant crowns and bridges don’t last forever. The implant post itself is essentially permanent once integrated, but the restoration on top can wear, chip, debond from the abutment, or simply look outdated after many years. We replace failed implant crowns, redesign restorations that don’t fit aesthetically, repair cement-retained crowns that have come loose, and replace screw-retained crowns whose access channels need refilling. The implant post stays; only the visible restoration is remade.
For patients whose original practice is closed, retired, or out of network, we take on existing implant cases for restoration even when the implant was placed years ago by someone we don’t know. The evaluation tells us whether the existing implant is sound enough to support a new restoration, or whether the situation calls for a different path.
Your Dental Implant Restoration Doctor in Teaneck and Roselle
Dr. Linda Hunponu-Wusu leads dental implant restoration at RJ Dental. She graduated from UMDNJ in 2006, and implant restoration is a named area of her clinical work alongside dental crowns, bridges, and other restorative care. More on her bio.
Implant restoration is a different skill from implant placement. Restoration sits at the boundary between prosthodontic precision (the crown matches the surrounding teeth, fits the abutment correctly, and seats without rocking) and bite engineering (the restoration interacts with your bite the same way a natural tooth would). Dr. Hunponu-Wusu’s experience with both root canal therapy on heavily restored teeth and complex crown work gives her the day-in, day-out exposure these cases require.
The Implant Restoration Process, Step by Step
The restoration phase typically takes two to three appointments over four to six weeks once your implant has integrated and is ready for restoration. Each step builds on the one before it; we don’t skip ahead because the next step depends on the work of the current one.
Evaluation and Planning
For implants we placed, we already have your surgical records, position data, and pre-implant impressions on file. For outside cases, the first appointment is a complete evaluation. We take a cone beam CT scan to confirm the implant position and bone integration, photograph the area, examine the surrounding teeth, and verify the implant is healthy enough for restoration. The exam also tells us whether you’ll need a custom abutment (designed specifically for your case) or whether a stock abutment from the implant manufacturer will work.
Digital Impressions
We use our intraoral scanner to capture digital impressions of the implant site, the surrounding teeth, and your bite. The scanner gets the level of detail needed for the crown to fit precisely against the abutment and contact the neighboring teeth correctly. The digital file goes into our planning software, where we design the abutment and crown together as one system.
Crown or Restoration Fabrication
Once the design is finalized, we fabricate the abutment and crown. For straightforward single-tooth cases, our 3D printer and in-house workflow can produce the restoration in days rather than weeks. For complex cases (multi-tooth, full-arch, or cases with unusual bite considerations), we work with our trusted dental lab and the timeline runs longer. Either way, you avoid the delays caused by mailing impressions or models back and forth between the office and an outside lab.
Final Placement and Bite Adjustment
At the placement appointment, we attach the abutment to the implant, seat the crown, and confirm everything fits and bites correctly. For screw-retained crowns, we tighten the access screw to the manufacturer’s torque specification and seal the access channel. For cement-retained crowns, we bond the crown to the abutment with dental cement and clean any excess. We then adjust the bite, polish the crown, and review home care.
You walk out with a restored tooth. We schedule a follow-up at the two-week mark to confirm the bite hasn’t shifted and the gum tissue around the new crown looks healthy.
Benefits of Dental Implant Restoration
You get a tooth that looks and works like the natural one it replaced. The crown we make matches the surrounding teeth in shade, shape, and contour. We use shade-matching photography during the digital impression appointment to capture how light reflects off your existing teeth, then build that match into the crown design. The result blends with your smile rather than announcing itself.
The fit is tight from day one. A poorly fitted crown leaves microscopic gaps where bacteria collect and bone-level inflammation can develop around the implant. We confirm the fit at placement using digital occlusion analysis, not just patient feel. If the bite is high on the implant tooth, we adjust until the implant tooth contacts the same way as the natural teeth around it.
Replacing a failed crown doesn’t mean replacing the implant. The implant post is the part that takes years to heal and integrates with your bone; the crown on top is the consumable. When an implant crown chips, debonds, or ages out after a decade or more, we replace just the crown. We work from a digital scan of your existing implant and abutment, so the new crown is designed to fit the existing setup rather than guessing at the original specifications. The post stays. The savings compared to redoing the whole implant are substantial.
Outside cases are welcome and straightforward to evaluate. Patients who had their implant placed elsewhere often worry that switching practices will complicate things. Our intake process for outside implants is the same evaluation we do for any patient: cone beam scan, digital impressions, clinical exam, written treatment estimate. We can identify common implant systems on the market today (Nobel Biocare, Straumann, Zimvie, and others) from the implant’s appearance on imaging, and we order abutments matched to the specific system before fabricating the crown.
Why Choose Our Team for Implant Restoration
 Implant restoration is one of those dental services where the work behind the scenes determines the result you see in the mirror. Our practice has the equipment and workflow to handle that work in-house: intraoral scanner for the digital impressions, 3D printer for in-office crown fabrication on straightforward cases, cone beam CT for evaluating outside implants, and digital occlusion analysis for confirming bite at placement.
We take on outside cases. Some practices won’t restore an implant they didn’t place, citing liability or unfamiliarity with the original surgical records. We do, with the caveat that the evaluation tells us whether the case is viable. If the existing implant has issues we can’t ignore (bone loss around the post, peri-implantitis, an unstable position), we tell you, and we’ll discuss whether the case can be salvaged or whether starting over is the better path. We don’t restore implants that aren’t sound.
We coordinate with our implant placement team when needed. For new implants placed at our offices, the placement records and digital impressions transfer directly to the restoration phase. There’s no handoff delay, no resending records between practices, and no surgical context lost in translation. For outside cases, we make the records ourselves at the evaluation appointment.
We treat the restoration as a long-term investment, not a finished delivery. Implant crowns are designed to last many years, but they aren’t truly permanent in the way the implant post is. Our follow-up cadence (periodic checkups, evaluations of the bite around the implant, and recommendations for periodontal maintenance specific to implants) is built around protecting the long-term result, not just delivering a successful placement and walking away.
Implant Restoration Cost and Financing
Cost matters, and we want to be straightforward: implant restoration pricing depends on whether the case is a single crown, multi-unit bridge, or full-arch restoration; whether a custom or stock abutment is appropriate for your specific implant; and whether we’re starting fresh or replacing existing restorations. We give you a written estimate after the evaluation appointment with the cone beam scan.
Insurance treatment of implant restoration varies. Some plans cover crowns on dental implants under the same provisions as natural-tooth crowns; others have specific implant exclusions. The verification we do during your evaluation tells us what your specific plan covers. Coverage details and accepted plans are listed under insurance and financing options.
For costs not covered by insurance, we offer flexible payment plans, and we work with CareCredit, Sunbit, and LendingPoint for longer-term financing. The cost of replacing a failed crown on a sound implant is significantly lower than redoing the whole implant procedure, which is one reason we recommend periodic evaluations of older implant restorations rather than waiting for them to fail outright.
Schedule Your Implant Restoration Consultation
Whether your implant was placed at our offices or somewhere else, the first step is the evaluation appointment with the cone beam scan. That’s what tells us what your case actually needs. Call our Teaneck office at (551) 369-2001, our Roselle office at (908) 488-5005, or book through our Request an Appointment page. We’re at 865 Teaneck Rd in Teaneck, NJ 07666. Our Roselle office is at 121-125 Chestnut St, Suite 201 in Roselle, NJ 07203.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will you restore an implant that was placed somewhere else?
Yes. Restoring outside implants is a regular part of our practice. The evaluation appointment with the cone beam scan tells us whether the implant is sound enough to restore and what specific abutment and crown will work best. We don’t need the original placement records to do the work; we generate everything we need from the imaging and clinical exam. The fastest way to find out if your specific case is restorable is to request an appointment online.
How do you decide between screw-retained and cement-retained crowns?
The decision comes down to where the implant is positioned in your mouth. Screw-retained is the default for back teeth, where the access channel sits on the chewing surface and won’t be visible when you smile, and where retrievability matters because back-tooth crowns absorb more bite force and may need adjustment over the years. Cement-retained is preferred for front teeth, where the access channel would otherwise show on a visible surface, and where bite forces are lower so retrievability is less of a concern. We make the call at your evaluation based on the specific implant position.
How long does the implant restoration process take?
The restoration phase itself runs two to three appointments over four to six weeks once the implant is ready for restoration. The first appointment is the digital impression and design. The second is placement of the abutment and crown. A two-week follow-up confirms everything settled correctly. For complex cases (multi-unit bridges or full-arch restorations), the timeline extends to several weeks longer due to fabrication complexity. We give you a specific timeline for your case at the evaluation.
Will my new crown match my other teeth?
For most patients, yes, though the match is more nuanced than just picking a tooth color. The crown has to match shade, translucency, and surface texture, all of which interact with light differently than a basic shade chip would suggest. The match is most accurate when the implant tooth is positioned similarly to the rest of your smile in terms of lighting; for front-of-mouth aesthetic cases, we sometimes do a try-in step before final placement to confirm the match looks right under the lighting conditions of your daily life.
What if you find a problem with my existing implant during evaluation?
The most common finding is peri-implantitis (gum inflammation around the implant), which is usually treatable. We address the inflammation through periodontal cleaning around the implant, sometimes with a gum graft, before moving forward with restoration. Bone loss around the implant post is more serious and depends on severity. Mild bone loss can be managed with a crown designed to distribute bite forces away from the weak area. Significant bone loss usually means the implant has lost the support it needs to hold a long-term restoration; in those cases, we recommend removing the existing implant and starting over with a new single tooth dental implant placement at a healthier site. We walk you through the specific findings and the options at the evaluation.
Does dental insurance cover implant restoration?
Restoration coverage is usually different from placement coverage on the same plan. Most plans cover the implant CROWN under standard restorative provisions, similar to how they cover any other crown. They treat the implant POST itself differently. Some plans exclude the post entirely; others cover it only after a missing-tooth clause has lapsed. For outside-placed implants, you may also run into “replacement” restrictions if your plan considers the new crown a duplicate. Our team verifies your specific benefits during the evaluation and walks you through the breakdown by component (post, abutment, crown), so the gray areas don’t show up as surprises.
Can you replace an old or failing implant crown without removing the implant?
In most cases, yes, but the answer depends on what’s actually wrong. If the crown chipped, debonded, or simply wore out, we replace just the crown using digital impressions of the existing implant and abutment, leaving the post in place. If the abutment is loose, we tighten it (for screw-retained) or rebond it (for cement-retained) without remaking anything. If the abutment itself is damaged, we replace the abutment but keep the implant post. The implant post itself only comes out if the integration with bone has failed, which is a separate diagnosis we’d identify during the evaluation.
How long do implant restorations last?
Implant crowns typically last 10 to 15 years before showing significant wear, with some lasting longer depending on bite forces, nightly grinding, and home care. The implant post itself often lasts the patient’s lifetime once integrated. Replacing a worn-out crown is much less involved than replacing the whole implant. Routine periodontal maintenance visits with us are part of how we catch wear or fit issues early, before they require a full crown replacement. |
