A dental prosthesis is an intraoral prosthesis used to reconstruct intraoral defects such as missing teeth, missing parts of teeth, and missing soft or hard structures of the jaw and palate. Such prostheses are used to rehabilitate chewing, improve aesthetics, and aid speech.

A dental prosthesis may be held in place by connecting to teeth or dental implants, by suction, or by being held passively by surrounding muscles. Like other types of prostheses, they can either be fixed permanently or removable.  

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A dental implant is a surgical component that interfaces with the bone of the jaw or skull to support a dental prosthesis such as a crown, bridge, denture, facial prosthesis or to act as an orthodontic anchor. The basis for modern dental implants is a biologic process called osseointegration, in which material such as titanium form an intimate bond to bone. The fixture is first placed so that it is likely to osseointegrate, then a dental prosthetic is added. A variable amount of healing time is required for osseointegration before either the dental prosthetic (a tooth, bridge or denture) is attached to the implant or an abutment is placed which will hold a dental prosthetic.