It is possible to replace just single teeth, multiple adjacent teeth, or even a full upper or lower jaw of teeth with dental implants.
How are different numbers of missing teeth replaced by dental implants?
For people who are missing just one or two individual teeth, each missing tooth can be replaced with its own implant, abutment, and crown. This is true whether the teeth are adjacent or not.
Three or four adjacent missing teeth will typically get two implants, two abutments, and three or four teeth (respectively) in the form of a 3 (or 4) unit bridge, attached to the abutment.
6-7 missing teeth will receive 3 implants, 8-10 missing teeth will get 4-5 implants, and 9-10 missing teeth will get 4-6 implants. To replace a whole upper or lower jaw of teeth (that’s 14 teeth), no more than 8 implants will typically be needed.
These are all guidelines, mind you. The number of implants you ultimately receive depends not only on the number of adjacent teeth you are missing, but also on the available bone in your jaw.
People with small jaw bones or those who have experienced bone loss as a result of having missing teeth for an extended period of time may need a bone graft in order to place the required number of implants effectively.