DAN Medics and Researchers Answer Your Dive Medicine Questions
Q: I recently had an upper molar tooth extracted and threads placed for an implant. I have a dive trip scheduled two weeks after the procedure that installed the threaded base. Will I be able to dive? Do I need to worry about bacteria from seawater entering my sinuses through the implant site?
A: Two weeks after the procedure is too soon to resume diving. Yes, there is a concern due to the proximity of the implant site and your maxillary sinus that requires your oral surgeon to confirm you are completely healed. You should have no pain, and your surgeon should approve unrestricted activity that includes chewing or biting on a mouthpiece before you return to diving.
Your dentist or oral surgeon is your best resource, but generally diving is not recommended until all healing is complete from the two most invasive parts of the process, the tooth extraction and the installation of the threaded base you describe. These affect the soft tissues of the gums and most dentists recommend four to six weeks to adequately heal and provide a barrier to seawater infection.
A dental implant is a titanium post or frame that’s surgically placed in the jawbone to replace a natural tooth root and provide a base for replacement teeth or a bridge. The process has multiple steps, and each step has its own restrictions on diving. The steps can be completed simultaneously as a same-day implant or extended over time.
The initial step is extracting the damaged tooth. During extraction, several things may happen. A bone graft may be placed in the socket to provide a suitable site for the future implant. Placement of grafting material depends on the site and the density and thickness of the surrounding bone. Alternatively, the tooth could be extracted and the socket allowed to heal naturally, or an implant could be placed at the time of extraction.
The implant placement is the most critical step. Your implant specialist will drill a precise hole into the bone and screw in a threaded titanium post. You will need to avoid diving for an extended period after this procedure to allow osseointegration of the implant.
Fusion of the titanium implant and the surrounding bone is crucial to success. Anything that interferes with this process, including micromovement of the implant or an infection, can cause the implant to fail.
There is no specific research on dental implants and diving, and dentists’ opinions vary. Some suggest a minimum of three months, while others may suggest more time to ensure osseointegration. Please follow your dentist’s recommendations. While some dentists may not know the specifics of diving, they can tell you how long to avoid dental stress.
The final steps are relatively simple and will not appreciably affect diving. The dentist inserts a small post into the implant, and then places the final appliance, which may be a crown, an anchoring point for a bridge, or a similar reconstruction. If the osseointegration has already occurred, you can likely resume diving after a few weeks of allowing the gums to heal.
Once the final device or crown is in place, you can treat the implant like any other tooth. Consider a trial run in a pool to see how the bite wings of your regulator’s mouthpiece fit the final reconstruction.
— Jevon Monaghan, EMT-P
© Alert Diver – Q3 2026