A dental implant replaces the entire tooth, the root and the visible crown. A small titanium post is placed into the jawbone, where it fuses with your bone over a few months. Once integrated, it functions like a natural root, transmitting bite force into the bone and supporting a custom porcelain crown that looks like the tooth you lost.
When a tooth goes missing, the jawbone underneath starts to shrink because nothing is stimulating it anymore. Over years, that bone loss changes the shape of your face. Implants are the only replacement that actively keeps the bone working. Bridges and dentures restore what you can see and leave the bone to disappear underneath.
Most patients don't know that part until someone shows them the x-ray.
