A dental implant is a structure made of alloplastic materials implanted into the oral tissues beneath the mucosa and/or periosteum and/or within or through the bone to provide retention and support for a fixed or removable dental prosthesis.

Surgical protocols: There are three surgical approaches which are in use over the years: (1) two-stage (2) one-stage, and (3) immediate-loading. The two-stage surgical procedure first places the implant body below the soft tissue until the bone begins to heal (usually 2 to 3 months for mandible and 3 to 6 for maxilla). During the second stage of surgery, soft tissues are reflected to attach a permucosal element or abutment. In one-stage surgical approach, the implant body in the bone and the permucosal element above the soft tissue are both placed simultaneously until initial bone maturation has occurred. The abutment of the implant then replaces the permucosal element without the need for a secondary soft tissue surgery. The immediate-restoration approach places the implant body and the prosthetic abutment at the initial surgery, and restoration (mostly transitional) is then attached to the abutment.