According to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), “dental implants are frequently the best treatment option for replacing missing teeth. Rather than resting on the gum line, like removable dentures, or using adjacent teeth as anchors like fixed bridges, dental implants are long-term replacements that your oral and maxillofacial surgeon surgically places in the jawbone”.
A dental implant is a “root” device, usually made of titanium, used in dentistry to support restorations that resemble a tooth (crown) or group of teeth to replace missing teeth (fix bridges).
Virtually all implants placed today are root-form endosseous implants and are placed within the bone.
The bone of the jaw accepts and osseointegrates with the titanium post. Osseointegration refers to the fusion of the implant surface with the surrounding bone. Dental implants will fuse with bone however they lack the periodontal ligament so they will feel slightly different than natural teeth during the chewing process especially during the first weeks after the restoration.