Single Tooth Replacement

SINGLE TOOTH MISSING

One of the goals of modern dentistry is being conservative and restoring the missing function of a tooth without damage to the others.  

If there is a missing tooth the first choice of treatment is dental implant. A dental implant not only restore the function of a missing tooth but saves the bone and tissue surrounding the implant too. Dental implant is a titanium screw which is surgically inserted into the jaw to support the prosthetic part which will replace the crown of the missing tooth.

Other options to replace a missing tooth are either a fix bridge. 

or a removable denture (a removable denture is not recommended if replacing only one tooth, due to lack of stability and retention).

Advantages of an implant over 3-unit fix bridge.

-Implant preserves the bone and soft tissue while bone and soft tissue in the area of missing tooth will be resorbed gradually.

 -Implant will bears the chewing force individually while in a bridge the teeth next to the missing tooth should bear the load of the missing tooth in addition to the chewing load on themselves.

-In dental implants there is no need to modify the adjacent teeth for installing a bridge.

-The removable dentures will not be stable if they are replacing only one tooth.

To be able to have a successful long-lasting dental implant, it needs to have enough anchorage in the bone to withstand the chewing forces. for this reason, if there is not enough bone in the implant site patient need to have additional surgical procedures before or at the time of the implant surgery to create enough anchorage for the implant. Depending on the situation these procedures can be a Bone graft, Sinus surgery or Sinus lift, and Socket graft or Socket preservation.

Give us a call to schedule for an implant consultation to find out if you need any of the graft procedures before your dental implant and discuss about your specific situation and concerns you may have. 

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