Dental implants allow a tooth to be replaced without the need to put crowns on the adjacent teeth or wear a bulky removable denture. The implant is placed into the bone where the missing tooth was previously and acts as a base to place a crown on.

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Teeth are generally removed when there is a cavity or fracture that prevents the tooth from being fixed with a filling or root canal. Once the tooth is out, the space can be left empty or the tooth can be replaced by (1) a removable partial denture (2) a bridge or (3) a dental implant. 

Removable denture
A removable denture is usually the most cost effective way to replace one or more missing teeth however the denture itself can sometimes feel bulky and be difficult to adapt to wearing

Bridge
Unlike a removable denture, a bridge is fixed in the mouth and is not removed. A bridge is made up of crowns that are cemented onto the adjacent teeth with a crown fused between them to replace the missing tooth. A bridge is beneficial when the adjacent teeth have large fillings or cracks. A bridge is not possible if there are not teeth on both sides of the tooth that is missing.

Dental Implant
A dental implant is similar to a screw, although the materials and surface modifications are considerably different, that replaces the root portion of a tooth and provides a base for placement of a crown. Dental implants are beneficial in situations where a bridge is not possible or when the adjacent teeth would not benefit from having a bridge (healthy teeth with no fillings or cracks).