Will a dental implant look and feel like a real tooth?

A well-designed dental implant is intended to look, feel and function very much like a natural tooth. The titanium or zirconia implant itself sits hidden in the bone, acting as an artificial root, while the visible crown is custom-made to match the colour, shape and size of your surrounding teeth.

Modern ceramics reflect light similarly to natural enamel, so in most day-to-day situations, other people won’t be able to tell you have an implant. Because the implant is securely fixed into the jaw, your new tooth should feel stable when you eat, speak, and smile, without the movement sometimes associated with dentures.

You may notice a slightly different sensation to biting at first, simply because the tooth is new, but most patients quickly forget it’s there. Good oral hygiene and regular check-ups help keep the implant crown and surrounding gums healthy, so your result looks natural long term.