The loss of a single tooth might not seem like a significant problem, particularly if you lose a tooth near the back of your mouth. After all, if it cannot be seen, what difference does it make? The truth is that losing even one tooth can have a major impact on your oral health and your mouth’s functions.
Dr. Chad Boustany believes that replacing your missing tooth, no matter where it is, is important. Revive Dental and Implant Center can improve your oral health with a single-tooth dental implant.
Why is Replacing a Single Tooth Important?
If you lose a front tooth, your smile is greatly affected, and you may begin to feel self-conscious. This isn’t the only thing that happens, however. Even at the back of the mouth, several issues arise.
You have a harder time chewing. Your speech may be affected. The surrounding teeth may also begin to shift into the space. As this happens, your bite is changed, which can cause many oral health problems. Shifting teeth can also affect your smile.
The Traditional Treatment
For a long time, the only option for replacing a single tooth was a bridge. This treatment uses a false tooth that’s secured in place with two crowns. One type of bridge is called an anterior bridge. You need two appointments to get a bridge. Your first one is used to remove some of the enamel from the teeth that will hold the bridge in place.
This is called preparing the teeth, and it’s necessary to ensure the crowns fit properly and your bridge looks completely natural. We then take a dental impression and provide you with a temporary bridge.
Once your impression is taken, we send it off to the lab. There, your custom restoration is made. It may take a couple of weeks.
The temporary bridge we provide helps protect your teeth and mouth during this time. When we get the bridge back, you’ll have your second appointment.
At your second appointment, the temporary bridge is removed. We then check that your final bridge fits properly and looks completely natural. Finally, we bond the crowns onto their respective teeth. The crowns serve as anchors, securing the restoration to your healthy teeth. One form of crown is called an anterior crown.
A bridge gives you back your smile as well as the functions of your missing tooth. It also helps to prevent the surrounding teeth from shifting. However, because it cannot stop bone loss in your jaw, you may need to get a new one every few years.
A Single Tooth Implant
A single-tooth implant is an alternative to the bridge. With this treatment, we surgically implant a titanium post into your jawbone. To do this, we do need to drill a hole into the bone. Once we place the post, your surgical incision is stitched closed.
This bone attaches to the post, fixing it securely within the jaw. In a way, the post is like a new root that supports your new tooth and holds it securely in place.
The process for getting a single-tooth implant is much more involved than that for getting a bridge. In addition to surgery, an implant needs several weeks to fully heal.
However, with this solution, you regain stimulation of your jawbone, restore the function of your missing tooth, and improve your oral health. This stimulation helps stop bone loss in your jaw. This means the bone doesn’t change shape, and the likelihood that you’ll need to have the actual implant changed is incredibly small.
No matter what the location of your missing tooth in your jaw, it’s essential to replace it as soon as possible. We offer same-day implants, which are made in our office and fitted on your tooth in one visit. With our in-office laboratory, we can place your implant in one day.
To learn more about our implant services, visit:
- Dental Implants in Charleston, WV
- Benefits of Tooth Replacement
- Cost of Dental Implants
- Dental Implant Candidates
- All-on-4®
- Complete Fixed Bridge
- Multiple Teeth Implants
- Overdentures
- Partial Fixed Bridge
- Bone Grafting
- Sinus Lift
- Trefoil Implant System
Replace One Missing Tooth Without Affecting Healthy Teeth
Losing even a single tooth can affect your bite, your speech, and the alignment of your surrounding teeth. A single-tooth implant is the only option that preserves your jawbone and doesn’t need grinding down healthy adjacent teeth. Dr. Chad Boustany can place a permanent, natural-looking implant that functions just like your original tooth.
Don’t let one missing tooth compromise your oral health. Call 304-396-6658 to schedule your consultation, or request an appointment online. Find out if a single-tooth implant is right for you.