Implants
Even if you’re into the whole roughed-up hockey player look, it’s incredibly important to quickly replace a missing tooth in order to avoid bone structure complications and keep your remaining teeth healthy. Options include:
Removable Denture
- Removable appliance that fully or partially replaces teeth
- Advantages:
- No surgery involved
- Least costly option
- Disadvantages:
- Doesn’t prevent tissue shrinkage and bone loss
- Visible clasps which attach to adjacent teeth
- Could hinder normal taste sensation
Bridge
- Fixed prosthesis that partially replaces teeth
- Teeth on either side of missing area are trimmed to create stumps
- Prosthesis is joined onto both stumps
- Advantages:
- Evenly distributes bite force
- Keeps remaining teeth in proper position
- Disadvantages:
- Difficult to maintain
- Trimmed tooth’s nerve might become inflamed
Implant
- Titanium root-shaped post that replaces natural root
- Surgically placed into jawbone
- Advantages:
- Best reproduces natural dental structure
- Longer-lasting
- No special cleaning techniques required
- Less costly in the long term
- Disadvantages:
- Higher initial cost
- 3-6 month process
All-on-Implants
- All teeth supported on 4 dental implants
- Complete rehabilitation of teeth
- Advantages:
- Complete arch restoration
- Less costly in the long term
- Only one surgery
- Prevents further bone loss
- Disadvantages:
- Higher initial cost
Removable Denture
- Removable appliance that fully or partially replaces teeth
- Advantages:
- No surgery involved
- Least costly option
- Disadvantages:
- Doesn’t prevent tissue shrinkage and bone loss
- Visible clasps which attach to adjacent teeth
- Could hinder normal taste sensation
Bridge
- Fixed prosthesis that partially replaces teeth
- Teeth on either side of missing area are trimmed to create stumps
- Prosthesis is joined onto both stumps
- Advantages:
- Evenly distributes bite force
- Keeps remaining teeth in proper position
- Disadvantages:
- Difficult to maintain
- Trimmed tooth’s nerve might become inflamed
Implant
- Titanium root-shaped post that replaces natural root
- Surgically placed into jawbone
- Advantages:
- Best reproduces natural dental structure
- Longer-lasting
- No special cleaning techniques required
- Less costly in the long term
- Disadvantages:
- Higher initial cost
- 3-6 month process
All-on-Implants
- All teeth supported on 4 dental implants
- Complete rehabilitation of teeth
- Advantages:
- Complete arch restoration
- Less costly in the long term
- Only one surgery
- Prevents further bone loss
- Disadvantages:
- Higher initial cost