Yes, that's the aim. The crown fitted on top of the implant is made to match the shade, shape and translucency of the teeth around it, so it blends in rather than stands out. Your dentist takes the shade carefully, often with photographs, so the lab can build a crown that sits naturally alongside your own teeth.

Yes, and it's one of the most rewarding results implants offer. Front teeth are more demanding than back teeth, because the tooth and the gum around it are on show, so the shade, the shape and the gum line all have to be right. Careful planning is what makes the difference, including shaping how the crown emerges from the gum so it looks like it's growing there naturally. Done well, a front tooth implant is very hard to tell apart from the real thing.

A single gap rarely stays a single problem. Over time the teeth on either side tend to tilt and drift into the space, and the tooth above or below it can start to over-erupt because it has nothing to bite against. This can gradually alter your bite, make the area harder to keep clean, and put extra wear on your other teeth. The bone under the gap also starts to shrink once the root is gone. Replacing the tooth sooner keeps things straightforward, while leaving it can make treatment more involved later on.

Often, yes. Plenty of people have implants for teeth they lost years earlier. The main thing we check is how much bone is left, because the ridge tends to shrink the longer a tooth has been missing. If there isn't quite enough, a bone graft can rebuild the area so the implant has a solid foundation. The 3D scan shows us exactly what we're working with, so at your consultation we can tell you whether you're ready for an implant straight away or whether a little groundwork is needed first.