An implant is a titanium post placed into the jawbone, acting as an artificial tooth root. Once the bone has grown around it, a crown goes on top and you have a tooth that is fixed, functional and looks like the rest.
Implants are the closest dentistry gets to replacing a tooth outright. Unlike a bridge, they do not require cutting down the healthy teeth on either side, and unlike a denture they do not move.
The trade-off is time. Bone needs months to fuse to the post, so the whole process runs over several appointments — worth knowing at the outset so the timeline doesn't come as a surprise.
Common questions
How long do implants last?
Decades, and often for life, with normal brushing and regular checkups.
Am I a candidate?
Most people are. It depends chiefly on how much bone is there, which an X-ray settles quickly.
Questions about dental implants?
Call the office and ask. We'd rather talk it through than have you guess from a website.