Missing Teeth

What are the options for a missing tooth?

There are four different options to replace a single missing tooth: a dental implant, a dental bridge, a denture, or leaving the gap.

Dental implants are typically the best option where the jaw bone is suitable, as dental implants will not negatively affect the adjacent teeth and will give maximal chewing function with near perfect appearance.

: Cross section of Tooth & Implant As you can see from the picture above the left hand side of the picture shows a cross section of the tooth. the right side shows the cross section of the implant. Once the screw has been inserted into the jaw the implant needs time to integrate with the jawbone before the custom made crown can be fitted. The process normally takes 1-2 months after the implant installation.

A dental bridge is made when the adjacent teeth are crowned and the missing tooth is joined to these crowns. By nature, dental bridges are good when the bone will not support a dental implant, however the effect of having crowns on the adjacent teeth in the long-term means extra risk of breaking or damaging these teeth.

: Bridge The teeth either side of the gap are used as anchors to hold a prosthesis in place.

Alternatively, a denture can be utilised to replace a missing tooth, and this option is typically used when we need a tooth to replace a gap quickly and only for a short period of time!

: Denture The main difference to a bridge is that the denture is removable.

You could, of course, leave the gap and not replace your tooth; however, this can result in the movement of other teeth, and the rapid loss of jaw bone shape.

If you have any further questions about what options you have to replace your missing tooth, then why not call and organise a consultation where we will be able to discuss your concerns, assess your situation and recommend possible treatment options and costs.