A Dentist Explains the Different Options for Replacing Missing Teeth

Within the past few decades, advances in dentistry have resulted in many options for replacing missing teeth. While all of these options help restore functionality and appearance to a person’s mouth, they also differ in several ways. Depending on a patient’s dental history and lifestyle, one replacement option may be better suited for them than the others.

Here are the four most common options for replacing missing teeth:

• Dental implants
• Implant-supported bridges
• Tooth-supported bridges
• Dentures

Although the field continues to advance, each of these options has its own strengths and weaknesses. Talking with your dentist is one of the best ways to learn about your available options for replacing missing teeth.

Dental implants

Dental implants are recommended for those who want to replace a tooth with a single, secure replacement that can last a lifetime. Dental implants consist of two components: a metal screw that is inserted into the gum or jawbone and an artificial tooth that is attached to the screw. Surgery is required to place the screw, and adequate jawbone density is required for screws inserted into the jawbone. Dental implants are more expensive to insert than other options for replacing missing teeth but can last for the rest of a patient’s life.

Implant-supported bridges

Bridges are recommended over dental implants for patients that are missing multiple teeth in a row. Instead of replacing each missing tooth with an implant, an implant-supported bridge uses two implants to restore a gap of missing teeth. The two implants are inserted on either side of the gap, and the bridge is attached between the implants to replace the missing teeth. While an implant-supported bridge is less secure than a dental implant, the procedure is less costly and invasive than replacing each missing tooth with an implant.

Tooth-supported bridges

In a tooth-supported bridge, teeth are used instead of implants to secure the bridge. Crowns are attached to the abutment teeth or the teeth on either side of the gap. The bridge is then cemented to the crowns. A tooth-supported bridge is a great option for patients that do not have the required jawbone density to receive an implant or do not wish to undergo surgery.

Dentures

Dentures can be used to replace up to a full set of a patient’s teeth. Dentures do not require surgery or a procedure to insert, making them the most affordable of the options for replacing missing teeth. However, dentures also must be removed daily from the patient’s mouth for cleaning and can lead to jawbone degradation.