For anyone in Camberley or the wider Surrey Heath area weighing up a dental implant, the questions are usually the same: how does it actually work, how long does it take, and what does the day-to-day experience look like? Dr Ahmed Al-Baiyaa, who completed his MSc in Implant Dentistry at the Eastman Dental Institute, UCL, places implants regularly at Atrium Dental in Camberley. In this article he walks through the full patient journey, in plain English, from first consultation to final tooth.

What a dental implant actually is

An implant is, very simply, a replacement for a missing tooth. It is made up of a small titanium screw that sits in the jawbone, and a crown — the visible tooth — that sits on top. Where a denture is removable and a bridge relies on the neighbouring teeth, an implant stands on its own.

“An implant is essentially a false tooth, so it replaces a missing tooth. It’s one of the options. You can still have other options, such as a bridge or a denture. An implant is more superior because it’s a fixed option, which means you do not have to take it out.” — Ahmed Al-Baiyaa

That fixed quality is the reason implants tend to feel and function so close to a natural tooth. You eat with it, you brush it, and most of the time you forget it is there.

The free consultation: removing the first barrier

Cost is the question most patients want answered before anything else, and Ahmed is direct about how Atrium has tried to take the pressure off that first conversation.

“For implants, we offer free-of-charge consultations. Again, that’s eliminating the barrier of cost.” — Ahmed Al-Baiyaa

The consultation is a chance to look at the gap or the failing tooth, take digital x-rays, talk through whether an implant is the right route at all, and discuss timing and finances openly. There is no obligation to book treatment, and Ahmed will often raise alternatives — a bridge, a temporary denture, or simply waiting — if they make better sense for the patient in front of him.

Step 1: removing the tooth (if needed) and waiting for healing

If the tooth is still in place but has reached the end of the road — root canals, fillings and crowns have all been tried, and it is not saveable — the first step is extraction. After that, the mouth is given time to settle.

“Usually a waiting period of about 3 months is required for the bone and the gums to heal and settle at a level which we expect for when the implant is ready to go in.” — Ahmed Al-Baiyaa

During those three months you can still eat, chew and use your mouth normally. The gum heals over, the bone remodels, and the site becomes ready to receive the implant.

Step 2: placing the titanium screw

The second stage is the implant placement itself. A titanium screw is positioned in the jawbone in the exact spot the tooth used to occupy. At Atrium this is digitally planned in advance, so the angulation and measurements are mapped on a computer system before Ahmed picks up an instrument.

“It’s done with very little guesswork, if not any guesswork, really,” he explains. “It’s all kind of pre-planned, and that should psychologically take away a lot of the concerns about whether this is going to go well.”

The procedure is carried out under local anaesthetic, with topical numbing gel applied first and time taken to make sure the area is completely numb before anything begins. After placement, the implant is left undisturbed so the bone can grow around it — a process called osseointegration — for around three months.

“That’s then left to heal for another 3-month period, so it becomes part of your bone and integrates with the body.” — Ahmed Al-Baiyaa

Step 3: fitting the final tooth — the lightbulb analogy

Once the implant has integrated, the patient comes back for the final stage: fitting the crown. This is the part that turns the screw into a visible, functioning tooth, and it is usually the easiest appointment of the lot.

“I like to use the analogy of a light bulb and a light socket, really, so it’s literally like fitting a light bulb into a light socket. That’s usually the next step, which is much more simpler. There is no surgery involved in most cases, and you will then have a final tooth to utilise like your own.” — Ahmed Al-Baiyaa

The crown is made from impressions taken with a digital scanner — no putty, no gag-reflex moments — and is colour-matched to the neighbouring teeth.

The full timeline at a glance

• Consultation — free of charge, includes digital x-rays and a risk assessment.
• Extraction (if needed) — followed by around 3 months of healing.
• Implant placement — titanium screw fitted under local anaesthetic.
• Integration — around 3 months for the bone to fuse around the implant.
• Final crown — the “lightbulb” stage; usually no surgery required.

From extraction to final tooth, the typical journey is therefore in the region of six months — sometimes longer if there are gum, bone or medical factors that need to be settled first. Ahmed is clear that the timing should fit the patient’s mouth, not a marketing brochure.

Why this matters for patients in Camberley and Surrey

Implants are one of the most predictable treatments in modern dentistry. Done properly, with a careful risk assessment up front and a patient who looks after the result, the screw itself is intended as a lifetime solution. The crown on top, like a natural tooth, will need maintenance over the years — but the foundation is built to last.

For anyone in Surrey Heath who has been putting off the conversation, the free consultation is the simplest place to start. There is no pressure to commit; it is a chance to find out where you stand.

Book a free implant consultation

If you are missing a tooth, or have one that may be on its way out, Ahmed and the team would be happy to talk you through the options in person. You can book a free consultation through the dental implants page or get in touch via the contact page.

MEET

Ahmed Al-Baiyaa

Dentist · BDS Hons Lond 2016 · GDC 265488

Dr Ahmed Al-Baiyaa qualified from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2016 with Honours, earning distinctions in every undergraduate year, ten prestigious academic awards and a nomination for the University of London Gold Medal. He completed his Foundation Training in the North Central London scheme attached to the Eastman Dental Institute, where he was awarded the Health Education England Best Clinical Case prize. In 2017 he passed the Royal College of Surgeons' Membership exams in Edinburgh.

Ahmed has advanced his communication skills working with dental-phobic children and adults in the Special Care Dentistry Department at King's College Hospital, and is a certified sedation dentist who routinely treats highly anxious patients under sedation. He is particularly drawn to oral surgery, with experience across King's College, St George's and Ashford and St Peter's hospitals, and is responsible for complex surgical extractions — including wisdom teeth — at the practice.

In 2025 he completed his three-year MSc in Implant Dentistry at the Eastman Dental Institute, University College London, where he was named Best Overall Student. He prides himself on being compassionate, empathetic and clear in the way he explains treatment — qualities patients consistently mention in their feedback.