After you lose a tooth, the bone that used to surround roots undergo atrophy and shrinks over time. A dental implant, just like a regular screw, needs to be imbedded in adequate amount of solid bone to support the implant crown and withstand normal chewing force. If there isn't enough bone where an implant needs to be placed, the dentist will add additional bone to the site to strengthen the bone around the implant.

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