Your Options for Missing Teeth

Should you lose or be missing a tooth, whether it never came in or was removed, due to trauma, decay or periodontal disease, it is important to replace the missing tooth.

Teeth stay in place with proper contact to adjacent and opposing teeth. Once a tooth is lost, the adjacent teeth begin to shift and drift, and place excessive forces on those adjacent teeth now carrying the chewing forces.

The options available for replacement of missing teeth range from removable partials, to fixed bridges, to dental implants. A fixed bridge is made by cutting down adjacent teeth, covering them with crowns, and with a false tooth or pontic between them. This tends to make a one-tooth problem now a three-tooth problem. Fixed bridges, like most dental restorations, have a finite lifespan, usually lasting 7-12 years. With chewing pressure and lateral forces, the cement lines around the neck of the teeth will eventually wash out and these teeth can decay again. This can cause more trauma to the adjacent teeth over a lifetime with subsequent need for replacement of the bridges.

Bridges can be used for a single missing tooth or multiple missing teeth, as long as there are teeth on either side of the space to anchor and support it. The longer the span of missing teeth, the higher the risk and shorter lifespan of the bridge.

Another option is dental implants. Dental implants are titanium posts placed into the bone, replacing the root of a missing tooth. These can be used as a single tooth replacement, or used as anchors to support longer span bridges or dentures. Benefits of dental implants include maintenance of the jawbone, prevention of bone loss, long-term stability and proper chewing function. If you are missing a tooth, ask us for options available for your particular situation.