Dental implants replace missing natural teeth with natural-looking, natural-feeling titanium ones. Edentulism, or tooth loss, can create several problems. Your nutrition may suffer, as foods you once enjoyed become too hard to chew. Your remaining teeth may suffer, as they do the work of the missing teeth and end up strained, and possibly damaged, themselves. Your jawbone may suffer, as the absence of teeth can cause it to weaken or shrink (a process called resorption). And, of course, your smile may suffer, too.

Fortunately, dental implants can combat edentulism. Patients can choose from two types: implants placed on top of the jawbone but under the gums, or implants rooted into the jawbone. Because implants "mimic" natural teeth, they allow the patient to go on as before the tooth loss occurred. The same foods can be eaten, and the risk of resorption is greatly reduced.

Patients can choose from a variety of implants, depending on their needs:

Root form implants are closest in shape to the natural tooth. They are inserted directly into incisions in the bone, and the bone and the gums grow around the root form in about six weeks.

Bone grafting is used when resorption has already shrunk the jawbone until it is too narrow for root form implants. The missing bone is filled in either with the patient's own bone (autografts), the bone of a human donor (allografts), animal bone (xenografts), or synthetic material that mimics natural bone (alloplastic grafts).

Plate form implants are used when the jaw is too narrow for either root form implants or bone grafting. The dentist will implant the plate form into the jawbone and stitch the gums around the implant.

Subperiostial implants are used in cases of advanced jawbone resorption. These implants sit under the gums, but on top of the jawbone.

All of the implants require a healing period, or osseointegration. The length of this period depends on the type of implants. After osseointegration, a surgical dentist will insert the final replacement teeth.