Types of Dental Implants
Dental implants fall into three types by placement: endosteal (in the jawbone, the most common), subperiosteal (on top of the bone, under the gum), and zygomatic (anchored in the cheekbone for severe bone loss). Separately, implants are described by what they restore: a single tooth, a snap-on denture, a fixed full arch, or All-on-4.
Medically reviewed by Ozayr Mahomed, DMD (Dr. Oz) · Updated June 2026
The three types by how they're placed
Endosteal
The most common type — small titanium posts placed directly into the jawbone. Used for single teeth, bridges, and full-arch restorations in patients with adequate bone density.
Subperiosteal
Placed on top of the jawbone, beneath the gum tissue, rather than drilled into it. An option for patients who lack the bone height for endosteal implants and can't have grafting.
Zygomatic
Longer implants anchored in the cheekbone for severe upper-jaw bone loss — often avoiding bone grafts. One of the few Plano-area practices offering them.
Titanium and ceramic (zirconia) implants
The two questions patients ask most often about implant material are whether a metal-free option exists, and whether it is as good. Both are fair questions, and the honest answer to the second is “it depends on the case.”
Titanium
The material behind five decades of implant research and the great majority of long-term survival data. It is a two-piece design, so the implant and the abutment can be changed independently, and it tolerates angulation — which is what makes All-on-4 and zygomatic placement possible.
Ceramic (zirconia)
A metal-free implant milled from zirconium dioxide, usually one piece. Chosen by patients who want no metal, and useful where thin gum tissue would let a titanium collar show as a grey line. The clinical record is shorter than titanium’s but has grown substantially.
What we place
We place both, and we will tell you which one your case actually calls for rather than which one you asked about. Angled, full-arch and zygomatic cases are titanium; single-tooth cases in the aesthetic zone are where ceramic most often earns its place.
One clarification worth making, because the search results confuse it constantly: “ceramic implant” and “porcelain dental implants” usually mean the fixture — the screw placed in the bone. That is different from the zirconia in a Malo Bridge or an All-on-X arch, which is the visible teeth sitting on top of a titanium foundation. A patient can have zirconia teeth on titanium implants, and most full-arch patients do. How zirconia behaves as a prosthesis →
Implant restorations — from one tooth to a full arch
The same endosteal implants support very different restorations depending on how many teeth you're replacing. See full pricing and details →
Single implant — $2,100
One implant and crown replace one tooth without affecting neighboring teeth. $4,000 complete with the custom crown.
Snap-on dentures — $8,000/arch
Two to four implants per arch retain a removable denture — secure while eating, removable for cleaning.
Fixed full arch — $13,000/arch
A permanent bridge screwed onto implants. Brush it like natural teeth; it never comes out.
All-on-4 / Malo Bridge — under $20,000
A full fixed arch on four to six implants, often with no bone graft. How All-on-4 works →
Types of Implants FAQ
Sources & further reading: American Dental Association — MouthHealthy: Implants.
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