Your dentist will make every effort to save your natural tooth. However at times, a tooth may have extensive decay or a crack making it non-restorable and a candidate for extraction. Likewise in the presence of advanced gum disease, teeth may need to be extracted.
To restore your smile and chewing efficiency, it is essential to replace missing teeth. This will also prevent adjacent teeth from drifting and ensure good oral health.
There are many options to replace missing teeth:
Implants
Implants are a state-of-the-art fixed replacement option for single or multiple teeth. Implants have a root form which is surgically inserted into the underlying bone. The root form supports a crown which is placed once the implant has united with the bone. The procedure may take from 4 to 6 months or at times longer if tissue grafting is required. Implants have been used successfully for many decades for patients of all ages. The main advantage of implants is that dental procedures on neighbouring intact teeth are avoided.
Bridges
Bridges are so named because they bridge the gap in your smile! A bridge typically involves crowns on the 2 teeth adjacent to the missing tooth/teeth. The missing tooth/teeth are joined to these crowns and are thus supported by the adjacent teeth. Bridges have been in use for years and are a reliable treatment option. However the disadvantage is that dental procedures are required on the adjacent often intact teeth. Today implants offer a viable alternative to bridges.
Dentures
When multiple teeth are lost, traditionally teeth have been replaced with dentures. Today also the cast partial denture may be a useful option in some situations and complete dentures (often implant-supported) are useful to replace the entire dentition.
Your dentist will discuss the various treatment options with you, and help you select what is best for you.