In some patients needing a dental implant, the periodontist will need to connect the natural teeth to the bone-supported dental implant using a periodontal ligament that allows for partial movement. This is often the case in partially edentulous patients who have a mixed bite, where natural teeth alternate between spaces that need to be restored with an implant. Some dentists are more reserved about the long-term efficacy of connecting implants and natural teeth, primarily because of the mobility difference between the two. Sometimes, complications can result from the use of a rigid or non-rigid connection between a dental implant and a natural tooth, one of which being the intrusion of the natural tooth, where the natural tooth “intrudes” on the dental implant, potentially causing failure. It’s important that periodontists evaluate the risk of natural tooth intrusion when using the existing dentition of patients to anchor the dental implant hardware.