Chances are, if you have had a space for years, you have had quite a bit of bone loss.   Either vertical or loss of width of bone do not make you an ideal candidate for dental implants without significant dental bone grafting.    Also, without a tooth in that space other teeth are forced to work harder to chew food or when patients clench their teeth.   If you have had crowns or dental work done after the tooth was removed initially, you likely can avoid front teeth snapping or other supporting back teeth breaking from overload.