If your teeth are missing or damaged, there’s help. It used to be that bridges and dentures were the only things available, and they didn’t always work so well. Now, you can get dental implants.

What are dental implants? They’re as they sound; replacement tooth roots that provide a strong foundation for replacement teeth that will match your natural teeth. There are a lot of benefits to dental implants, including an improved appearance (which will lead to higher self-confidence.) Other benefits include more natural-sounding speech because unlike dentures, implants stay firmly in place. There’s no cause to worry about mumbling. As implants stay firmly in place, eating is made much easier without the need to take out dentures and inevitably forgetting them. Essentially, there’s an ease to dental implants that you won’t get with anything else.

Anyone can get a dental implant; there’s no minimum age required! However, for those considering implants, it’s important that they still be in good dental health, and committed to keeping it up. Dental implants are an extensive process, with an individualized treatment plan and multiple visits. It’s not something anyone should slack off on, considering that it’s their mouth they need to be worried about. The first step in getting implants, though, is to talk to your dentist and figure out how to proceed based on the most important factor: you.