Home/Implants & Restorative Care/Missing Tooth Replacement

The gap left from a missing tooth can be more than just a cosmetic inconvenience. Missing teeth often make chewing, drinking, and speaking more difficult in addition to hindering your smile. When left untreated, a missing tooth can also increase your risk for developing more complicated and serious oral health problems, including jawbone loss, movement or migration of your existing teeth, and even a gradual shift in your facial structure. Thanks to recent advancements in dental technology, solutions to replace a single missing tooth can restore the integrity — as well as the beauty — of your smile.

Single Tooth Implants

A dental implant is designed to replace a missing tooth with zero impact to your surrounding healthy teeth. With bridges, it is often necessary to remove some of the natural structure of the adjacent teeth in order to affix the bridge into place. However, a dental implant uses a small titanium post placed in the gum tissue that serves as an artificial tooth root. A custom-made porcelain replacement tooth is then attached to this post to achieve a seamless appearance with your natural teeth. Since dental implants function just like a natural tooth, they require no special care and you can maintain your normal brushing and flossing routine. In addition, dental implants eventually fuse to the jawbone, making these dental restorations a permanent part of your mouth.

Ideal candidates for single tooth implants will have sufficient jawbone density to receive the titanium root. After your dental implant procedure, you can speak and chew with ease while enjoying your new natural-looking smile.

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Dental Bridge

A dental bridge can be another option to fill the gap left from an individual missing tooth. While this restoration cannot stimulate new bone growth like an implant does, a dental bridge can still serve as a long-lasting tooth replacement for patients who may not be right for implant surgery. Secured to adjacent healthy teeth with dental crowns, a dental bridge can help reclaim full biting function and correct gaps in your smile. Although it does not stop jawbone loss, a dental bridge can be a viable solution to attain a natural-looking restoration without a surgical procedure.

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To learn more about replacing missing teeth with single tooth restorations, or to schedule a consultation with one of our dentists, please contact us today.