What are the options for replacing missing teeth?
These are the ways we replace missing teeth here in Pearisburg, from a single tooth to a whole jaw:
- A dental bridge: a replacement tooth joined to crowns on the teeth either side of the gap.
- A single tooth implant: a titanium post where the root was, topped with a crown.
- An implant-supported bridge: several teeth in a row, carried by implants instead of natural teeth.
- A partial denture: replacement teeth on a base that clips onto your own teeth and lifts out.
- A full denture: a complete set of teeth for the upper or lower jaw, resting on the gums.
- An implant-retained denture: a denture that clips onto a small number of implants, so it stays put but still comes out.
One missing tooth: bridge, implant or partial?
A bridge is fixed, feels much like your own teeth, and is finished sooner than an implant. The catch is the teeth either side, which are shaped for crowns: a fair trade if they already have large fillings, a real loss if they are healthy.
An implant leaves those teeth alone and is the only option that loads the bone the way a root did. It needs enough bone, healthy gums and several months of healing. The post goes in under local anesthetic, and most people say the day after feels like having a tooth pulled. If the gap shows while it heals, ask about a temporary tooth.
A partial denture usually costs the least of the three and needs no surgery, but it moves more than a fixed tooth, and some people do not get on with taking it in and out.
Several missing teeth: implant bridge or partial denture?
When several teeth in a row are missing, implants, often two, can carry a bridge across the gap, fixed in place without touching your natural teeth. It costs less than an implant for every tooth and more than a partial, and like any implant it takes months.
When teeth are missing in several places around the same jaw, one partial denture can fill every gap, with no surgery, at a lower cost. The trade-off is living with something that comes out, can shift when you chew, and rests on gum where the bone keeps shrinking.
All the teeth in a jaw: denture or implant-retained denture?
A full denture rests on the gums. An upper one is held by its close fit against the roof of the mouth, while a lower one has far less to grip, which is why it is the one people struggle with. Both loosen over the years as the bone shrinks, and can need relining.
An implant-retained denture clips onto a small number of implants, so it stops moving when you eat and talk but still comes out to clean. For a loose lower denture, that is often the change that matters most. It needs enough bone to hold the implants.
How do you choose?
At a consultation we look at the space, your gums and the bone, and ask about your health, your medicines and whether you smoke, since smoking lowers the success rate of implants. Some people are better served by a bridge or a partial denture than an implant, and we would rather tell you that than sell you the more expensive option.
What usually decides it:
- How many teeth are missing, and whether they are side by side or spread out.
- Whether the teeth next to the gap are healthy or already need crowns.
- Whether there is enough bone for an implant.
- How you feel about something that comes out.
- What each option would cost you, in writing, after insurance.
What does replacing a missing tooth cost?
In general, a partial denture costs least at the start, a bridge more, and an implant more again. For a whole jaw, a conventional denture costs less than an implant-retained one, which costs less than an implant for every tooth. None of them is a one-time cost, because everything needs check-ups and dentures can need relining.
You get a written estimate before anything is scheduled, and for larger work we can send your insurer a pre-treatment estimate first. Plans differ: some pay toward implants, some pay only what a less expensive option would cost, and some will not pay to replace a tooth that was missing before you joined. No dental insurance? Ask about the Virginia Dental Club.
Questions patients ask
Is an implant the right choice for everyone?
No. An implant keeps the bone and leaves the neighboring teeth alone, but it needs enough bone, healthy gums and months of healing, and it costs more at the start. For some people a bridge or a partial denture is the better answer, and we will tell you if that is you.
How soon should I replace a missing tooth?
There is no deadline, and a gap at the very back sometimes causes no trouble at all. Most gaps do have consequences, though: the teeth nearby can drift, and the bone where the root was shrinks, which can narrow your options later. If a tooth is about to come out, plan its replacement before the extraction.
Will I have a gap while an implant heals?
Possibly, for a while. Bone needs several months to fuse to the post before the crown goes on. If the gap shows when you smile, ask about a temporary tooth for the meantime.
Which option feels most like natural teeth?
The fixed options, a bridge or teeth on implants, because they stay put when you bite. A denture moves a little when you chew, though one that clips onto implants moves far less.