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I generally restore an implant or two a week. I do not place them and use primarily my old roomate who is a Periodontist trained in placing these. He has done one on myself and my brother. A couple of points. Any Dentist can place an implant. I could go out and buy the tools and do it tomorrow if I felt like it. Or take a weekend course at a seminar if I wanted to learn a little. I don't though because I feel better about sending my patients to a specialist who is trained at the specialty (Periodontist, Prosthodontis, and Oral surgeons). I do restore them and this is where I see what is properly done. If considerations are taken into account, the final placement of the crown can look seemless compared to the other teeth. I replaced my brothers this way when his tooth fractured at the gumline. If things are not done correctly, you will have a functional tooth, but it may never look correct and always look like it is not natural. I have inhereted some of these cases and it is a battle to make them look correct.
Implants are a much better restoration then bridges. I can't emphasis that more. If you are looking at having your two front teeth replaced, you will need a bridge that goes from canine to canine. The lateral teeth next to the centrals are generally not sufficient to place a bridge on. You cant floss between a fixed bridge. You will get food under it usually after every meal. Most patients complain that is never feels completely natural. I still do bridges, but recommend implants as a better option. Implants here generally cost $1500-2000 for the placement and $1000-$1500 for the crown placement per tooth in the Pittsburgh area, much lower than some major cities.
All the cases I have used where the variety of tooth extraction, 3-6 month healing, implant placement, 6-12 month healing, and then crown. I do believe the biggest problem, beyond cost, is the time and visits it takes for a restoration. It doesn't surprise me that they trying to push this sooner, but the traditional method has been proven reliable. Beyond the possible mechanical failure of the implant which is rare, the lifetime of an implant has no real timeline. Bridges generally last 10 years give or take, with insurance covering replacement in 5 years.