Implants are high-tech, high-strength, FDA-approved replacements for missing teeth that include a titanium “root” your body welcomes and surrounds with healthy new bone.

It’s as though we slipped a brand new root underneath and placed a brand new tooth on it again. You brush and floss your new tooth like any other – and use it to eat everything you like in total comfort.

Alternatively, if you wear full dentures, we can use the implants to create anchors that hold your dentures perfectly in place – with no messy denture adhesive, no slipping, no rubbing and no pain.

Implants are better in several ways. For example, with fixed bridges I need to actually drill down perfectly healthy teeth to hold the bridge. And if those teeth ever suffer damage from tooth decay, the bridge can fail.

As for partial dentures, (the ones that clip onto adjacent teeth) they can lead to bone loss in the area where the tooth is missing and contribute to the loss of the teeth to which they are attached.

In fact, studies show that within five to seven years, there is a failure rate of close to 30% for the teeth anchoring a partial denture.

With proper care your implant could last a lifetime. Studies show that the majority of implants placed more than 20 years ago are still performing well – and the people who have them are still sure they made the right choice.

Implants may be right for you if you’re an adult with one or more missing teeth. They’re generally not done on children whose jaws are still growing.

You should also have healthy oral tissues and enough bone to secure the implant or be able to have a bone graft.