No one likes it when they lose a tooth and we’ve learned that there are easy and effective ways of restoring a missing tooth.
The most commonly lost tooth in adults is the 6-year molar because it is usually had the most number of fillings or you bite down on something and it breaks off below the gum-line and into the bone and the tooth has to be extracted.
4 Common Ways to Replace a Missing Tooth
Generally, there are about 4 things you can do with the tooth that’s missing. The first thing is absolutely do nothing and you can just leave the space there.
The second thing you can do is what’s called the removable partial denture. It’s like a retainer that comes in and out and has a tooth in the place of the missing tooth. Not many dentists would recommend this treatment today because it puts a lot of pressure on other teeth in the mouth or on the gum tissue. It’s also hard to maintain.
The next best option is the 3-unit fixed bridge which basically consists of three dental crowns connected together in one piece that is cemented in and holds that space and replaces the tooth. With this option, the dentist would come into the mouth and reduce the size of the teeth on either side and then have the laboratory make three teeth that are then cemented on the teeth on either side of the space. The downside of a fixed bridge is over time it will wear, you will lose bone in a space where there’s no tooth and you’ll start getting food caught under the bridge.
Finally, the other best and popular option is the dental implant in which metal, screw-like posts will be placed into your jawbone to replace lost natural tooth and its root. A dental implant is the highest tech solution for filling that space where there is a missing tooth. It is made of titanium covered in a special coating so that the bone grows into it. It’s like replacing the root of the tooth. An oral surgeon would place the screw into the bone through an incision in the gum. Patients are surprised at how quick and easy it is and how relatively painless it is to have an implant placed.
The Risks of Not Replacing the Missing Tooth
The most common consequences of just leaving an empty space are shifting of the teeth on either side of that space the teeth can lean in. Also, the tooth opposing that space has the tendency to drift down over time which can cause a problem with the bite and may complicate in restoring that area later on if the patients decide that they want to do something down the road.
A patient with a missing tooth at the molar site for a couple of years may experience bone resorption and it’s not going to be as easy as the missing molar that is only a couple of months old. Losing the bone following the extraction complicates what the dentist need to do in order to get an implant into the site.
Is it possible to replace a missing tooth on the same day?
Have you lost your front tooth and can’t dare to show yourself in public? Do you have an infected or wobbly tooth that is about to get lost and you are terrified how that is going to play out? Do you need an immediate aesthetic solution without having to go through a complicated dental process?
If so, same day tooth replacement is a suitable option for you. Same-day tooth replacement is now possible with a dental implant. This is the newest innovation in the dental industry, providing 70% success rate.
Traditionally, regular implants will be placed in two stages in which the patient has to wait for four to six months after the initial surgery before having a proper fixed tooth. This old traditional technique requires multiple surgical procedures with multiple visits.
Whereas, the same day dental implants or immediate loading implants have no waiting period, no need of any aggressive surgical procedures and the patient can get a tooth immediately at the same time when they leave the clinic.
But not all the patients will qualify for this procedure. It is better to consult your oral surgeon or implant specialist to determine if same-day dental implant is right for you.
