When it comes to dental implants many patients with missing teeth come through the door asking, “Can I get dental implants…?” but many fail to recognize that there are 3 fundamental criteria that must be addressed in order to get the best possible results. The first criterion, and the most commonly recognized, is the missing teeth or dentition. This is what most people would expect to be replaced and this is accomplished by the placement of the dental implant(s) and followed by the restoration(s) (implant crown or bridge, implant prosthesis, etc.). The second criterion would be the soft tissue or the “gums” (gingiva). Much like a painting being the teeth in the mouth and the frame of the painting being the “gums” for the teeth. This is often overlooked and the lack of attention to restoring the soft tissue will often lead to an overall esthetic outcome for the dental implants as being substandard or imperfect. The third and last criterion, and not in any particular order, is the hard tissue or the bone. Going back to the painting analogy, the bone is much like the wall for the painting and the frame. Without the wall, the painting and frame would not have any support or be in any condition to be displayed in an art exhibit. The bone is just as important (if not the most) as any of the other two criteria and should always be addressed – without the bone there could be no possibility of implant placement at all in the most general sense. Therefore, all 3 of these criteria needs to be addressed with any deficiencies in order to have the very best esthetic as well as the most healthy and functional outcome.