Even though we cant show anybody our teeth at the start of our lives, they are already there, and during the course of life they have to do a lot of work, which does of course leave its traces. Tooth loss can affect people of every age: when playing around or engaged in sports, or if one suffers caries or gum loss (periodontitis). Inadequate care and bad nutrition can also damage the teeth.

Those who lose teeth do of course want good replacements for them. These should be as natural as possible and should also reproduce the function of the dentition as best as possible. Implants allow for an optimal solution for almost any individual situation. Three cases are described later on.

After skeletal growth has been completed, dental implants can be used at almost every stage of life. Even great age is rarely a reason to refrain from having an implant. The most important conditions are an adequate volume of bone, normal wound healing conditions, good bone quality, and good oral hygiene.