How long following an extraction should you wait before having an implant placement to fill the gap? In reality on the same visit you can have an implant inserted, but such approach is not always possible. The reason could be because there are not enough bone in the extraction socket to support a new implant, or severe infection in the site. However, if you wait too long following an extraction, the jaw bone in extraction socket will start shrinking and you have less bone in extraction site. Numerous studies have been carried out to find out the optimum waiting time prior to an implant placement in an extraction site. It appears that optimum time is between 8 to 12 weeks following extraction for a new implant placement.