An implant is a screw-shaped artificial titanium tooth root inserted into the jawbone to replace missing teeth. As the jawbone perceives titanium as a part of the body, most implants are made of titanium.

This high tolerance translates into a high success rate. Implants can be used to correct a wide range of tooth defects, whether just one or all teeth are missing. Implants feel very much like normal teeth during chewing, and do not require any intervention to adjacent teeth, therefore, they have become one of the most popular treatment options.

Missing teeth have both functional and aesthetic consequences. Gaps in teeth prevent effective chewing. Moreover, missing teeth affect occlusion and can also affect the jaw joint and adjacent teeth. Implants are an excellent option to restore oral health in people who have lost their teeth due to periodontal disease, caries, trauma, or other reasons.

The jawbone is reabsorbed by the body after a tooth is lost. Placing an implant right after tooth extraction significantly reduces this resorption. Implants do not require support from adjacent teeth; therefore, they are more protective than traditional dental bridges.

Implants can also be used when a fixed prosthesis (such as a crown or dental bridge) is not feasible for the posterior-most teeth, when the patient prefers against a removable prosthesis, and when the jawbone is diminished in a completely edentulous patient and thus a complete denture does not properly fit, to prevent the prosthesis from moving in the mouth

Individuals with good overall health and healthy gums and bones that can support implants will enjoy excellent results after implant applications, provided that oral hygiene is maintained. In some cases, the patient doesn’t have an adequate amount of bone for implant placement. If there is severe bone resorption, it is possible to restore bone tissue with advanced techniques (bone graft, periodontal surgery applications) to create an infrastructure for implant placement.

Implant application is usually divided into two stages. In standard implant applications that do not require further surgery, firstly, local anesthesia is applied to the area where the implant will be placed and then the gum is carefully removed. According to the previously measured bone thickness and height, a hole is drilled in the bone for the implant, and the implant is placed. This procedure is completely painless and usually takes between 10 and 30 minutes.

A certain period of time is required for the implant to integrate into the healing bone. This time depends on the condition of the bone and the jaw and takes between 2-4 months. In the second stage, the now covered implant is exposed and the part imitating the tooth is placed to start the prosthetic procedures.