Losing a single tooth — whether from decay, trauma, or extraction — affects far more than your smile. It changes how you eat, how you speak, and over time, how your bone responds. The tooth next to the gap starts to shift. The jaw begins to resorb. What starts as one missing tooth becomes a larger problem.

A dental implant is the only solution that replaces the root as well as the crown. It stops bone loss, preserves the surrounding teeth, and functions exactly like a natural tooth. At our Beirut clinic, single tooth implants are placed by Dr. Habib Zarifeh — Head of Oral Surgery at CMC Hospital Beirut (Johns Hopkins International affiliated), MSc Laser Dentistry from RWTH Aachen University, Germany, and founder of Smile Infinity® across 12 countries.

Whether you are missing a tooth in the front (aesthetic zone) or the back (posterior region), there is a protocol suited to your specific bone quality, anatomy, and timeline. Every case is evaluated individually — there is no one-size approach here.

The Three Protocols for Single Tooth Implants

1. One Day Implant® — Immediate Loading

This is Dr. Zarifeh's proprietary protocol — the One Day Implant®. The implant, abutment, and final crown are all completed in a single surgical session. You arrive with a missing tooth. You leave with a fixed, permanent restoration the same day.

This protocol requires ideal bone quality and volume, and is most reliably performed in the lower jaw. Using laser-assisted flapless surgery — no incision, no flap, no sutures — combined with robotic CAD/CAM technology (computerized design and milling), the abutment is fixed at 35 Newton torque and the final crown is milled and placed in the same session.

The result: a complete implant restoration in one visit, with minimal discomfort and no recovery downtime in most cases.

2. Immediate Temporization

In cases where a permanent crown cannot be placed immediately — particularly in the aesthetic zone — immediate temporization offers the next best outcome. The implant and abutment are placed surgically, and a fixed temporary crown (not removable) is delivered the same day using either CAD/CAM or conventional lab techniques.

This temporary crown serves two purposes: it gives the patient immediate function and aesthetics, and it shapes the gum tissue around the implant during the healing phase. In the anterior region, this gum contouring step is what separates a great aesthetic result from an average one.

This protocol works for both upper and lower jaw single tooth cases.

3. Conventional (Delayed) Loading

In cases with compromised bone density, significant grafting needs, or medical considerations that require extended healing time, the conventional protocol is the most predictable choice. The implant is placed with a healing or cover screw in the first session. The definitive crown is delivered after full osseointegration — typically several weeks to a few months depending on bone quality and the individual case.

This is not a lesser option — for the right patient, it is the most responsible one. Dr. Zarifeh's approach is always to recommend the protocol that gives the best long-term result, not the fastest one.