You may have heard about dental implants but do not really know what they are. There is no reason you would know unless you are a dentist, oral surgeon, or if you have experienced tooth loss. A dental implant is an artificial tooth root placed into your jaw by a periodontist. For people who are in generally good health but experience tooth loss due to periodontal disease or from some type of injury, dental implants can be a good option for permanent tooth replacement. In some circumstances, multiple teeth may be replaced by dental implants, but other circumstances only call for the replacement of a single tooth. If you have experienced a single tooth loss, check with a Plano periodontist for more information about single tooth dental implants. Dental implants are permanent, and with proper care, they can last a lifetime. They are permanently connected to your jaw bones and underlying gum tissue. These artificial tooth replacements look natural, so if you lose a single tooth and need to have it replaced, you do not have to worry about it looking unnatural. Most people will never know you have had dental implants in Plano unless you tell them. For replacing a single tooth, the implant will replace the lost tooth and its root. There are advantages to having your Plano periodontist perform a dental implant in place of a bridge. Dental implants do not danger the health of the surrounding teeth. If you were to have a bridge, the neighboring teeth would have to support the cemented bridge. The implant replaces the root, so the bone is better preserved. Some bridgework has been known to cause deterioration to the jawbone. Another advantage to a single tooth implant is that it is easier to clean...