I had one impacted canine tooth. It was stuck up in my gums sideways and would not move. They tried different methods to guide it to come down normally, but none of that made it move. Ultimately, they extracted the impacted tooth and put in an implant, which was then covered with a crown. That was all through high school, so if I calculate correctly, I've had this crown -- which looks awesome and just like my natural teeth -- for around 15-17 years. When I go to the dentist for cleaning every six months, they still say that it's in great shape, and I've had no problems with it whatsoever. Of course, at first it felt weird to have a "fake tooth" in my mouth, but it didn't take long to feel completely normal and very close to the same as all the rest of my teeth. All this to say, I'm an advocate of the implant/crown route.
ETA: Yes, at the time that the surgery took place, I was hating the process and wished I didn't have to do it, but my orthodontist, my oral surgeon, and my parents did an excellent job explaining why this would be a worthwhile procedure in the long-term. I've also always handled delayed gratification pretty well, so I was able to put up with it. Of course it was uncomfortable to deal with surgery, needle in the arm, anesthesia, having a very sore mouth, etc., but these things passed rather quickly. Once the crown was in place, I was more than ready for everyone to stop messing with my mouth. But the payoff for me has been excellent, and I am so glad that I went through with this procedure.