Dental implants in Lugano and Bellinzona

What is a dental implant?

An implant is a small titanium screw — a biocompatible material that the bone accepts and grows around — placed in the jawbone where the root of the lost tooth used to be. A custom-made ceramic crown is then fitted on top, indistinguishable from your natural teeth in shape and colour. Unlike a conventional bridge, an implant does not require the healthy neighbouring teeth to be ground down; unlike a removable denture, it is fixed, stable and cleaned just like a natural tooth.

Who is it for?

Implants are suitable for anyone who has lost one or more teeth, has a tooth that can no longer be saved, or wears a removable denture and would prefer a fixed solution. We treat every type of bone situation: where the bone is insufficient, we carry out vertical and horizontal bone grafting and sinus lifts, making implants possible even where they initially seemed out of the question. Suitability is assessed with X-rays and a digital plan of your case, taking into account your general health, your gums and your habits.

How treatment works

Everything starts with an examination and digital planning. An intraoral scanner records a digital impression of your teeth — no trays, no impression paste — and a 3D X-ray (cone beam CT) shows us the quantity and quality of bone and the exact position of nerves and sinuses. By overlaying the two on screen, we define the ideal position, angle and depth of the implant to within a millimetre, working back from the tooth it will support. That plan becomes a custom surgical guide that steers the placement: guided implant surgery is more precise, quicker and less invasive, with an easier recovery.

The implant is placed under local anaesthetic, usually in under an hour for a single implant, and is far less of an ordeal than many patients fear: most are back to their normal routine the following day. If you wish, the procedure can be carried out under conscious sedation with our sedation dentist — ideal for anxious patients; see our page on fear of the dentist.

A healing period follows, known as osseointegration, during which the bone bonds to the titanium: typically two to four months in the lower jaw and four to six in the upper. A temporary tooth is fitted in the meantime where needed. Finally we take an impression and fit the definitive crown, made by our dental laboratory and adjusted until it feels completely comfortable.

Immediate-load implants

Where the bone and the stability of the implant allow, we offer immediate loading: the implant receives a fixed temporary crown on the same day or within a few days — no months of waiting with a gap, and you can smile and chew straight away. Suitability is assessed case by case at the planning stage. This treatment is carried out by Dr Alessandro Maria Volpi at our Lugano practice (also under conscious sedation) and by Med. dent. Stefano Gambaro at our Bellinzona practice.

How long implants last — and how to look after them

A well-placed, well-maintained implant can last for decades. The conditions are the same as for natural teeth: thorough home care, regular professional hygiene and routine check-ups. The main risk is peri-implantitis, an inflammation of the tissues around the implant similar to gum disease, and maintenance is precisely what prevents it. Smoking and poorly controlled diabetes increase the risk, which is why we discuss them openly at the planning stage. Patients with gum disease are followed in parallel through our periodontal care.

What does an implant cost?

The cost depends on the number of implants, the type of crown and whether any bone grafting is needed. We work to the transparent DENTOTAR® tariff, and you will always receive a detailed, itemised written estimate before we begin. Payment in instalments is available on request.

Frequently asked questions