A dental implant (also called an endosseous implant or also fixture) is a prosthesis that interfaces with the bone of the jaw or skull to support a dental prosthesis like such as a crown, bridge, denture, or facial prosthesis or just to act as an orthodontic anchor.

 

The base for modern dental implant is a biologic process called osseointegration, in which the materials such as titanium or zirconium form an intimate bond to bone. The implant fixture is first placed so that it is likely to osseointegrate, then a dental prosthetic is added. It take a variable amount of time heal for osseointegration before either the dental prosthetic (a tooth, bridge or denture) can be attached to the implant or an abutment is placed which will hold a dental prosthetic/crown.