Your natural teeth consist of two parts - the crown which is the part of your tooth that shows above the gumline and the root - the anchor hidden below the gumline. When a tooth is missing, a dental implant in the form of a titanium post takes the place of the missing root. The natural crown is then replaced with a porcelain crown.

Dental implants offer several advantages over the crown and bridge option of replacing missing teeth. They preserve the bone underlying the missing tooth which prevents that “sunken” look common to people with missing teeth and, since they’re not anchored to adjacent teeth they help to preserve the structure and integrity of the adjacent teeth.