It is quite common to have a missing tooth. If you have a single missing or failing tooth due to age, poor oral health, or injury, we can replace your tooth with a single dental implant, which will look and function just like your natural teeth.

Regardless of how you lost your tooth, it is extremely important to have them replaced. Missing teeth not only impact how you look and feel, but can also wreak havoc on your oral health, leading to continued bone loss, and general deterioration of your remaining teeth and gums. With implants, you can eat what you want, and participate in activities, all without the worry of problems with your teeth.

Prior to advances in dental implants, the method most often used for replacement of a single tooth was a bridge. With a tooth-borne bridge, both of the teeth next to the missing tooth are prepared by removing the enamel from these teeth, then a fixed bridge is cemented to the prepared teeth. The biggest advantage to a fixed bridge is time – after the neighboring teeth are cut down, the new bridge is ready in about two weeks. However, the advantage of time comes with a cost. In this case, two perfectly good teeth must be modified to replace a single tooth. Another disadvantage is that because tooth supported bridges can be difficult to keep clean, they are susceptible to cavities, and often need to be replaced. Lastly, without an implant in place, the underlying bone can be compromised, leading to potentially more complicated and expensive grafting should the bridge fail and dental implants become considered.