Dental Education Guide

Procedure detail

Immediate Loading of Dental Implants (Teeth in a Day)

Immediate loading puts a functional or non-functional tooth on an implant the day it is placed. The evidence is supportive in carefully selected cases — but the wrong case fails the implant outright.

Reading time
8–10 min
Medically reviewed
Reviewed by a licensed dentist
Last updated
2026-06-01

Written by

Dental Education Guide Editorial Team

Editorial team

Medically reviewed by

Medical Review Board (External Clinical Advisors)

Medical review

Editorial review

Evidence Review Lead

Editorial review

Last reviewed:
2026-06-01
Last updated:
2026-06-01
Reading time:
8–10 min
Version:
1.0

Overview

"Teeth in a Day" or immediate loading means a temporary crown, bridge, or full-arch prosthesis is attached to implants in the same surgical visit. For full-arch reconstructions, this is the defining feature of the All-on-4 concept and is well-supported when primary stability is high[2][3]. For single implants, the evidence is more nuanced.

Why timing matters biologically

Bone remodels around an implant in the first weeks under load. If micromotion at the bone-implant interface exceeds roughly 100 µm during early healing, fibrous tissue forms instead of bone — and the implant never integrates. Primary stability, measured intra-operatively as insertion torque (Ncm) or implant stability quotient (ISQ), is the surrogate used to predict whether the implant can tolerate immediate loading.

Stability thresholds in practice

  • Insertion torque ≥ 35 Ncm is the common threshold for any immediate provisional.
  • For functional immediate loading (especially molars), many surgeons require ≥ 45 Ncm.
  • For full-arch All-on-4, cross-arch splinting distributes load and a torque of ≥ 35 Ncm per implant is generally accepted.

Single tooth vs. full arch

Single-tooth immediate loading is more risky than full-arch because there is no cross-arch splinting to redistribute load. Most clinicians use a screw-retained, infraoccluded provisional (no contact in biting or chewing) to shape gum without loading the implant. Full-arch immediate loading benefits from rigid splinting across 4–6 implants and has 10-year survival in the 90%+ range in the All-on-4 literature[2].

Frequently asked questions

Scientific references

  1. 1. Esposito M, Grusovin MG, Maghaireh H, Worthington HV. (2013). Interventions for replacing missing teeth: different times for loading dental implants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. (3):CD003878. View source
  2. 2. Maló P, de Araújo Nobre M, Lopes A, Ferro A, Nunes M. (2019). The All-on-4 treatment concept for the rehabilitation of the completely edentulous mandible: A longitudinal study with 10 to 18 years of follow-up. Clin Implant Dent Relat Res. 21(4):565-577. View source
  3. 3. Soto-Peñaloza D, Zaragozí-Alonso R, Peñarrocha-Diago M, Peñarrocha-Diago M. (2017). The all-on-four treatment concept: Systematic review. J Clin Exp Dent. 9(3):e474-e488. View source