Dental implants are elective, multi-step procedures used to replace missing teeth, and scheduling often depends on dentist availability, insurance approvals, and referral processes.
Unlike national health systems, the U.S. has no centralized registry that tracks wait times for dental procedures. However, surveys and workforce data provide useful benchmarks.
This guide examines dental implant wait times United States vs North Dakota, comparing national trends, state-level access factors, and local considerations in Minot, ND.
It also reviews patterns from 2018 to 2023 and looks ahead beyond 2026 to help patients understand what may affect treatment timelines.
U.S. National Context
There is no official “wait time” metric for U.S. dental implants, since scheduling is private and varies by region. In normal times, most patients can see a dentist within days.
For example, an ADA-HPI mystery-shopper study (Connecticut, 2014) found 76% of practices offered an appointment within 2 weeks and 59% within 1 week; the overall mean wait was ~9.9 days (median 5 days).
Specialists like oral surgeons averaged slightly longer waits (e.g. ~13–14 days). By these measures, U.S. dental wait times are usually under two weeks for non‐emergencies.
Likewise, Becker’s Dental Review notes U.S. dentist density is relatively high (e.g. roughly 35–45 dentists per 100,000 people in many states), which supports shorter waits.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted dental care in 2020. In March 2020, ADA recommended postponing all but emergencies, and a poll of ~19,000 dentists found 76% closed to routine patients.
Dental visits fell by about one-third in Spring 2020 (e.g. CDC reports a 33% drop vs. 2019). Backlogs grew as clinics gradually reopened in mid-2020 with new safety protocols. By 2021–22, many practices extended hours or hired extra staff to catch up.
Recent surveys (2021–2023) indicate routine wait times have largely normalized to pre-COVID levels, but some patients report delaying care due to cost or fear.
In sum, typical waits for dental implant procedures in the U.S. pre-pandemic were on the order of one to two weeks once non-urgent care resumed.
North Dakota – Workforce and Access
North Dakota’s rural demographics and workforce shortages suggest longer waits than the national average. ND has fewer dentists per capita than most states – about 26.9 dentists per 100,000 people (2025 data).
(By contrast, many states have ~35–45/100k.) This low dentist density reflects ND’s large rural areas: as of 2023 roughly 34% of ND counties had no practicing dentist (up from 28% in 2010).
Accordingly, the federal HRSA has designated much of ND as Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
Nationally, 59 million people live in dental HPSAs, and HRSA estimates the U.S. needs ~10,093 more dentists to eliminate shortages – a gap likely felt in ND.
These workforce shortages affect scheduling. The North Dakota Oral Health Program’s workforce data show that by 2022–2023 far fewer dentists were able to schedule new patients within two weeks compared to earlier years.
For example, in 2022 about 56% of ND dentists reported being able to schedule an exam appointment within 2 weeks, but by 2023 only 21% did. (For actual treatment appointments the share fell from 41% to 17%.)
This steep decline suggests that implant patients in ND may face waits of several weeks or more, especially if multiple appointments (consultation, surgery, follow-up) are needed.
(These figures come from ND Board of Dental Examiners reports.) In short, ND’s sparse provider network and high rural population imply longer wait times for elective services like implants than the U.S. average.
Cost is another barrier: CareQuest survey data show many Americans (including in ND) delay or skip dental care due to cost. ND has a larger proportion of adults on Medicaid for dental, but only a minority of private dentists accept ND Medicaid.
(In 2019–22 only ~15–17% of ND dentists took Medicaid patients.) Thus low reimbursement can further limit capacity for Medicaid-covered procedures.
Altogether, North Dakota patients often contend with dental clinic travel and scheduling hurdles, suggesting average wait times for an implant consultation could easily be multiple weeks, especially outside major cities.
Minot (Ward County) Local Context
Minot (population ~47–48K) is ND’s fourth‐largest city and a regional center. It hosts multiple dental practices including generalists, oral surgeons (e.g. Sanford and CHI St. Alexius facilities), and implant specialists.
However, concrete wait-time data for Minot are not publicly reported. Anecdotally, larger towns like Minot tend to have modestly shorter wait times than the most rural areas, since they concentrate the state’s dentists.
For example, North Dakota’s largest cities (Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks) have several implant providers, whereas smaller towns rely on sporadic specialists.
Nevertheless, Minot still reflects ND’s broader trends: limited provider numbers and a population that often travels for care. Patients may book implant consultations 3–6 weeks out in Minot, based on typical practice scheduling.
Emergencies (toothache, infections) are seen quickly (often same- or next-day) in Oral Surgery clinics, but elective implant referrals often carry waitlists of 1–2 months in local practice websites.
(For example, Minot-area oral surgeons offer “consultation within days for urgent pain” but standard implants are scheduled weeks later.)
Without official data, we infer that Minot’s wait times for implants are roughly in line with state norms, perhaps slightly shorter than in outlying counties but still significantly longer than in metro areas of larger states.
Trends (2018–2026 and Beyond)
Growth in demand vs. supply. The U.S. faces a growing gap between dental care demand and provider supply. An aging population and higher implant acceptance (vs. dentures) drive more implant procedures.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects dentist employment to grow ~5% from 2023 to 2033, faster than average. Dental schools now graduate ~6,000 new dentists per year, and fewer graduating dentists struggle to find jobs, suggesting supply is increasing.
However, much of this growth clusters in urban areas. Federal data show tens of millions still lack timely access in rural HPSAs, a category ND largely falls into.
Policy and innovations. Several efforts may influence future wait times. New workforce models (e.g., expanded-use dental therapists in some states) could improve rural access, though ND has not yet adopted these.
Advances in technology (CAD/CAM scanning, guided surgery, even emerging 3D-printed implants) may streamline procedures but won’t by themselves reduce scheduling demand.
Tele-dentistry can speed consultations and referrals, but surgical implants require in-person visits. Expansion of insurance coverage (e.g.,
Medicare beginning to cover some dental in 2025) could increase demand, potentially lengthening waits without supply changes.
Forecast outlook. If current trends continue, we expect implant wait times to rise modestly in rural regions. More dentists overall will slightly ease national waits; indeed, urban centers may see shorter waits by 2026 than in 2018.
However, North Dakota (and Minot) are likely to experience flat or increasing waits unless new programs target those shortages.
The ND Dental Workforce reports indicate ND dentist numbers plateaued in recent years and many are nearing retirement.
Without a marked rise in new clinicians in rural ND, the percentage of patients waiting >2 weeks for routine appointments will likely remain high.
In summary: U.S. average waits for elective implant care typically run 1–2 weeks in recent years. By contrast, North Dakota’s wait times are longer – often several weeks – due to low dentist density and rural access issues.
Minot, as a regional hub, probably falls in between: shorter waits than remote ND counties but longer than the national average.
Recent data (e.g. ADA surveys, ND Board reports) consistently suggest that cost and provider shortages remain the main drivers of delay.
Going forward beyond 2026, modest gains in dentist supply (5% growth) may help U.S. wait times slightly, but rural and underserved areas like North Dakota will likely still face significant waits for dental implants unless targeted workforce or policy changes occur.
Sources: U.S. ADA surveys and HPI reports; CareQuest national survey; Becker’s Review dentist density (2025); North Dakota Dept. of Health Dental Workforce data (2019–2023); AMN Healthcare dental shortage analysis (HRSA, BLS data).
Each provides evidence on appointment availability, workforce ratios, and patient-reported access issues relevant to dental implant wait times.
References
Dentists per capita in all 50 states – Becker’s Dental Review – DSO + Dental News
COVID-19 and Dentistry Timeline
2020 trends in dental office visits during the COVID-19 pandemic
