Missing Tooth Solution | Covington - Kent

Missing Tooth Solution | Covington - Kent

“Dental Implant Solutions for a Missing Tooth”

Missing a tooth can be very frustrating. Aside from the embarrassment of the missing tooth showing in your smile you may also experience difficulty chewing. These are common reasons that people replace missing teeth with dental implants but there are other significant reasons to seek rapid replacement of missing teeth.

Teeth support each other like stones in an arch. When a tooth is lost it is not uncommon for the arch form of your teeth to collapse. Teeth adjacent to the space may tip over. Teeth above or below the space may continue to erupt into the space. This is called supraeruption. Often braces are required to reposition these teeth before an implant can be placed. In the worst cases the tipped or supraerupted tooth must be extracted. Quickly replacing missing teeth can prevent the need for these extra procedures, saving you time and money.

Bone loss is another big concern after tooth loss. It is common to lose both bone height and width after a tooth is lost. You may even lose bone from teeth adjacent to the space resulting in further tooth loss. Although this bone can often be replaced with bone grafting, the procedures can be costly and uncomfortable. Rapidly replacing missing teeth can prevent this.

Lastly, missing teeth and bone structure may result in unwanted changes to your appearance. Your lips can lose support and your cheeks can sink in. Both situations can make a person appear older and can result in wrinkles.

“You are Missing a Tooth – Now What?”

Contact us for a free consultation! We can often place your dental implant right away. We can also make a provisional restoration to hold the surrounding teeth and tissues into place. It can take up to 6 months for the implant to fuse to your bone, called osseointegration, so the sooner you start treatment the sooner you can have your healthy smile!