Dental implants are used to replace missing roots and support replacement teeth. The replacement teeth may be fixed to the implant(s). The implant sticks to the bone, false teeth attached to implants look and act much like natural teeth. Implants are not for everyone. A good candidate must be in good general health, have health gums and enough bone in their jaw to support the implant(s). It’s normal for bone to shrink if it no longer has teeth to support. Because an implant sticks to the bone, the bone is less likely to shrink. But if you have been missing teeth for some time, you may have bone loss. A bone graft can build up the bone and support an implant. When a bone graft is done, bone is added to the area where your jaw bone has shrunk. An assessment can be done to see if you are a candidate for bone grafting.