Can Dental Implants Replace a Single Lost Tooth?

Patients who have lost teeth can usually regain the confidence and optimal oral health they used to enjoy by replacing them with lifelike prostheses. Even a single lost tooth can negatively affect that confidence, and if not replaced, it can have an increasingly worse impact on your remaining teeth and oral structures. Traditionally, many of those effects have been mitigated with the help of a custom-designed dental bridge. However, these days, more and more patients in and around North Hollywood, CA, are enjoying more comprehensive and long-lasting results with the help of dental implant-supported crowns, instead.

Traditional Single Tooth Replacement

A dental bridge’s purpose is to fill the space in your smile that your missing tooth has created. It accomplishes this with the help of a custom-designed, highly realistic replacement tooth (called a pontic). The replacement is supported by a pair of crowns that are bonded to the teeth nearest to the gap, or abutment teeth, and the crowns are also designed to blend in discreetly with your smile. Bridges are highly effective at restoring your bite’s function as well as reestablishing your smile’s healthy, natural appearance. However, they lack a few key characteristics that make them unable to completely reestablish your lost tooth’s vital functions.

How an Implant-Supported Crown Works

Instead of a traditional bridge that relies on crowns and abutment teeth, we often recommend replacing lost teeth with dental implant-supported prostheses. Implants are prosthetic posts that are inserted into the jawbone in place of lost teeth roots. For a single lost tooth, an implant post can be inserted and then topped with a realistic, custom-made dental crown. The implant post replaces the root of your lost tooth, which is vital to stimulating and preserving your jawbone. It also helps you avoid the need to modify your healthy remaining tooth structure, which means your teeth will remain stronger and healthier in the long run.

Replace Your Lost Tooth with a Lifelike Implant and Crown

Compared to the traditional dental bridges that patients used to rely on, a dental implant and crown can replace your lost tooth with better immediate and long-term results. For more information, or to find out if you qualify for a dental implant and crown, schedule a consultation by calling Modern Smile in North Hollywood, CA, today at 818-763-9353. We also proudly serve patients who live in Burbank, Toluca Lake, and all surrounding communities.