A dental implant is used in restorative dentistry. There are several types. The most widely accepted and successful is the osseointegrated implant . Based on the discovery by Professor Branemarke that titanium could be successfully incorporated into bone when osteocytes grow on and into the rough surface of the implanted titanium. This forms a structural and functional connection between the living bone and the implant.

A typical implant consists of a titanium screw, with a roughened surface. This surface is treated either by plasma spraying , etching or sandblasting to increase the integration potential of the implant. A pilot hole is bored into the recipient bone, taking care to avoid vital structures (in particular the inferior dental nerve within the mandible). This pilot hole is the expanded by using progressively wider drills. Care is taken not to damage the osteoblast cells by overheating. A cooling water spray keeps the temperature of the bone to below 47 degrees Celsius. The implant screw is usually self-tapping and is screwed into place at a precise torque so as not to overload the surrounding bone. Once in the bone, a cover screw is placed and the operation site is allowed to heal for a period for integration to occur. After some months the implant is uncovered and a healing abutment and temporary crown is placed onto the implant. This encourages gingival growth in the right scalloped shape to approximate a natural tooth's gums and allows assessment of the final aesthetics of the restored tooth. Once this has occurred a crown will be placed on the implant. Typically in the UK a single tooth implant plus crown costs around £2000.

A variation on the implant procedure is the implant-supported bridge , or implant-supported denture.