      
Replicating the natural function and appearance of your lost teeth can be very difficult to accomplish. Historically, dentures or bridge restorations would be used as replacements, but with limited results. Dental implants, however, are a natural-looking replacement for missing teeth that also provide the same function as your natural tooth root. They have also been used to anchor these other types of restorations for greater success and patient satisfaction. 
A dental implant is a small, sturdy, titanium post that acts as the root structure would for a natural tooth. A dental implant is placed into your upper or lower jaw bone. After the bone has grown around the plant, implants can hold a crown, bridge or over-denture just like roots hold natural teeth in place. Implants are very durable and can last a lifetime. They require the same maintenance as natural teeth; this includes brushing, flossing and regular dental check-ups. A single tooth or a full arch of teeth which have been lost due to injury or disease can be replaced with dental implants. Titanium metal is used because of its compatiblity with bone and oral tissues. 
Dental Implants were developed in 1952, in a laboratory in the university town of Lund, Sweden by Professor Pet-Ingvar Branemark, who had a "lucky" accident during bone grafting research. Much to his dismay, Dr. Branemark discovered that is was impossible to recover any of the bone-anchored titanium microscopes he was using. The titanium plade had apparently bonded irreversibly to living bone tissue, an observation which contradicted all scientific theory at the time. Dr. Branemark went on to demonstrate that under carefully controlled conditions, titanium could be structurally integrated into living bone with a very high degree of predictability, and without long-term soft tissue inflammation or rejection. Branemark coined the name "osseointegration," meaning the attachment of healthy bone to a titanium implant. Thus dental implants were born and the first application of dental osseointegration was the implantation of new titanium roots in an edentulous (toothless) patient in 1965. Dental implants have shown a 90 percent success rate and long-term studies continue to show improving success. 
In 1952, the first dental implants were developed and since that time technology has taken leaps and bounds to give us the most modern solution for missing teeth. Dental implants restore optimum oral health, as well as confidence and hope to thos who have suffered tooth loss. 
The effects of missing teeth can be detrimental to your long term oral and medical health. Missing teeth are also recognized as a symptom of old age making you look older than you are. Replacing missing teeth can dramatically improve your smile and the shape of your face. This grealty enhances both your dental health and self-esteem. 
Having gaps where teeth are missing affect the way the jaw closes. The remaining teeth begin to tilt and drift into the gaps. In addition, food can become trapped in these spaces, increasing the risk of decay and gum disease. The titling and drifting can also cause problems for the opposing teeth. An opposing tooth will begin to hyper erupt and begin to drift into the open space of the missing tooth, causing the opposing jawline to have bite relationship problems thus beginning TMJ problems (problems with the jaw joint). 
As soon as a tooth is lost, either from gum disease or an extraction, the supporting bone in the jaw begins to dissolve. This process is called resorption. The longer a tooth is missing, the greater the bone loss. Over time, resorption of the jawbone has a considerable effect on quality of life and on the possibility of replacing the missing teeth. As teeth are lost it becomes more difficult to eat and chew food. Studies have shown that 29 percent of denture wearers eat only soft or mashed foods and 50 percent avoid many foods altogether. And over time, more and more of the jaw bone disintegrates until it becomes very difficult to place any dental restoration.
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