Dental implants are an effective way to replace missing teeth. When teeth are lost because of disease or accident, dental implants may be a good option. You may want to choose dental implants if you:

• Hide your smile because you have missing teeth
• Wear dentures that are uncomfortable
• Are dissatisfied with your removable partial dentures
• Want to keep your other teeth in tact

Many people choose implants to replace a single tooth or several teeth, or to support a full set of dentures. Implants are posts surgically placed into the upper or lower jawbone. They replace the root of one or more missing teeth.

Dental implants are made of titanium (a strong, lightweight metal) and other materials, that are well accepted by the body. More than 5 million implants are placed each year by dentists in the United States.