Dental implants are substitutes for natural tooth roots. They rely on bone for support. Implants give replacement teeth a more stable base and improve the use patients can get out of their dentures and bridgework.

Dental implants have been around in various forms for centuries. Only in the past thirty years, however, have they come to provide reliable replacements for natural teeth.

They are made of light titanium metal. Some are coated with a bone like substance called hydroxylapatite. They are usually 3-6mm in diameter and 8-20mm in length. Titanium is a bioactive metal which, when undisturbed, is able to trick the body into believing that it is a tooth. The body therefore bonds directly to the implant surface with a bond that is stronger than to natural teeth.