Dental Implants

Implant Replacement for Single Teeth

While a single tooth can be replaced with a removable appliance, the looks, function, and convenience of a "permanent" replacement are far superior. In the past this could only be accomplished with a bridge, where the teeth on either side of the missing tooth are crowned, with the replacement tooth connected to the crowns.

This is an excellent restoraton, but many people would prefer not to have to "prepare", or cut down, the adjacent teeth. Today, implants have become so predictable class="photos" they are often recommended in place of a bridge to replace single missing teeth.

Implant inserted to replace missing front tooth	X-ray of implant with crown cemented
Restoration completed with crown placed	Close-up of beautiful cosmetic result. It is impossible to tell which tooth was replaced with the implant/crown.

The advantages of implants over bridges include:

• It is not necessary to drill down the adjacent natural teeth to make crowns.
• The teeth remain separate, making cleaning (flossing) easier.
• If a bridge fails, the entire bridge must be removed. Implants are stand-alone.
• Implants cannot decay, the main reason for bridge failure.

Implant Replacement for Multiple Teeth

Implants can be used to support multiple teeth, or bridges. They are very useful when the natural teeth are not strong enough to support a bridge, or when there are no teeth available to which a bridge can be connected. In these cases, implants offer the only solution for a permanent restoration, and an alternative to a removable appliance.

Four implants supporting bridge.	X-ray of the implants in place
Completed implant supported bridge