Implant Treatment Options

Replacing a Single Missing Tooth

When a single tooth is missing, the two most common treatment options are a traditional tooth-supported bridge or an implant-supported crown.

When a traditional bridge is used to replace a missing tooth, the adjacent teeth are cut down into peg shapes in order to fit the cemented bridge in place. This method of tooth replacement can be very esthetic and functional for a period of time. However, a tooth-supported bridge does not replace the bone that previously surrounded the root. Since there is no longer a root to hold the bone in place, the bone deteriorates.

There are many advantages to replacing a single missing tooth with an implant-supported crown:

• It looks, feels and functions like a natural tooth
• It is much more esthetic long term
• It does not decay
• There is no need to grind down the adjacent natural teeth
• The bone is preserved, preventing a visible bony defect
• It is more hygienic (easier to clean) than a tooth-supported bridge

Replacing Multiple Missing Teeth

When more than one tooth is missing, there are three common treatment options: the traditional tooth-supported bridge, a removable partial denture and an implant-supported bridge. In this situation the benefits of implant-supported teeth are clear.

A removable prosthesis, such as a partial denture, accelerates bone resorption (deterioration), the process that occurs naturally when teeth are lost or removed. In addition, the clasps that hold a partial denture in place put significant pressure on the natural teeth they hook onto, loosening them and, in many cases, eventually leading to the loss of those teeth. Most patients with partial dentures state that they are uncomfortable and that they rarely wear them.

The advantages of replacing multiple missing teeth with implant-supported bridges include:

• Look, feel and function of natural teeth
• Comfort and stability
• Restoration of natural biting and chewing capacity
• Arrest of bone resorption (deterioration) process
• Integrity of facial structure is maintained
• Adjacent natural teeth are not compromised (ground down into peg shapes or loosened)

Replacing all of the Teeth

In the past, people missing all of their teeth had no option but dentures. This prosthesis has numerous disadvantages. Dentures are:

• Uncomfortable and often painful
• Not natural looking
• Difficult to eat with
• Not always easy to keep in your mouth

These problems can be solved with implant supported replacement teeth, which are stable (securely fastened to the implants) and maintain the integrity of the facial structures by preserving the bone.

Some of the many advantages of implant supported replacement teeth include the following:

• They are more comfortable and stable than traditional dentures
• They virtually stop the bone resorption (deterioration) process
• Integrity of the facial structures is maintained
• Appearance is improved
• It is not necessary to cover the roof of the mouth, so food can be tasted
• Relines and repairs are infrequent compared to traditional dentures
• Natural biting and chewing capacity is restored