Single tooth dental implants

 

When only one tooth is missing it is common to find the gap remaining annoying and unsightly, especially if it is a front tooth. In the long-term, neighbouring teeth are prone to drift into the gap, which can result in a wonky smile and crooked teeth.

 

Partial dentures and tooth implants

 

To avoid this, and to restore the mouth to its usual function and appearance there are a number of options. A resin-bonded bridge can fill the gap by attaching a false tooth to neighbouring teeth, or a partial denture can be made to fasten a false tooth into place through an acrylic plate which locks behind the remaining teeth in the jaw.

 

However, the option that undoubtedly gives the most aesthetic, long-term and functional result is a dental implant supporting a single crown. A further advantage of the latter course of treatment is that no adjacent tooth trimming is necessary, making it a very conservative method of tooth replacement. Any trimming is undesirable as it decreases the longevity of the teeth involved. As it stands alone without connections to other teeth, the dental tooth implant can be cleaned as if it was an extra tooth (albeit with extra care). It also maintains bone in this area as the titanium and natural bone fuse together and this reduces the chance of neighbouring teeth becoming loose from the loss of bone around them.

 

The single tooth implant choice is often favoured over that of a partial denture as it doesn't need to be removed at night and for cleaning because it is fixed in place like a real tooth. It also doesn't impact the taste of food and drink as it covers no more of the mouth than a normal tooth would, unlike a denture. A partial denture can also be a relatively uncomfortable treatment option when used to replace lower teeth as retention is sometimes hard to achieve and comfort is often compromised.