Dental implants are metal posts that are positioned in the jaw beneath your gums. They allow your dentist to mount replacement teeth.

Dental implants fuse to your jawbone and provide stable support for teeth.

• Endosteal implants — these are surgically implanted directly into the jawbone. Once the surrounding gum tissue has healed, a second surgery is needed to connect a post to the original implant. Finally, an artificial tooth (or teeth) is attached to the post individually or grouped on a bridge or denture.
• Subperiosteal implants — these consist of a metal frame that is fitted onto the jawbone just below the gum tissue. As the gums heal, the frame becomes fixed to the jawbone. Posts, which are attached to the frame, protrude through the gums. As with endosteal implants, artificial teeth are then mounted to the posts.

• Bone augmentation — This can involve restoring bone in your jaw so that it can support dental implants.
• Sinus lift — This can involve adding bone under the sinus in order to fight deterioration and support missing upper back teeth.
• Ridge expansion — If your jaw isn’t wide enough support dental implants, bone grafts can be added to add space along the top of your jaw.