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Getting educated about the pros and cons of these are important before you make any decision. Here, Dr. Thomas Linehan bring you through some of the choices.

• Missing a single tooth?
• Missing multiple teeth?
• Missing a whole set?

Missing a single tooth:

If you are missing a single tooth then usually a single dental implant is the answer. This is a root shaped screw placed in between the adjacent teeth. After healing for a few months a crown is placed on top and screwed in or bonded to the implant. It has advantages over other options as it doesn’t get tooth decay and it usually looks and feels just like your own.

Alternatives to this include a bridge or dentures. Bridges normally require drilling of the adjacent teeth and dentures are normally loose and cause gum disease and bone loss.

Missing Multiple Teeth:

If you are missing multiple teeth then dental implants are usually still the best option. It is not always necessary to place a single implant for each missing tooth. This can vary however depending on the bite you have and the forces you can generate. Your dentist will discuss the best option for you.

When there are multiple teeth restored with implants they are normally joined together. This means that the crowns on them are normally fused together. Visually they look individual but by joining them we reduce the potential for problems of overloading and therefore reduce the complication rates. When placing multiple implants they are often placed at the same time. This means you will need to be sedated only once and will only be sore and swollen once. They will also all heal at the same time and so you will have teeth sooner.

Alternatives to multiple implants would be dentures or bridges. Bigger dentures tend to be looser than smaller ones and longer bridges are more prone to failure from decay or cracking of the porcelain.

Missing a whole set:

If you are missing all the teeth in a jaw you can decide to have either fixed teeth on implant or a click tite denture.

Fixed Teeth: This is the best way to fix you mouth. These are the same as standard implants and are usually all joined together on 4-10 implants (depending on bone and forces generated in mouth). Our patients generally find fixed teeth to be the most comfortable method of tooth replacement. With the fixed teeth there is zero movement of the teeth. That means the gums and palate shouldn’t get sore. It means you can taste food properly again as your palate is uncovered. Generally you will need more implants to get fixed teeth than a click tite denture.

Click-Tite Denture: This is a denture which is secured to the mouth using dental implants. These are generally the best kind of denture available but will be bulkier than fixed teeth and will always have some movement in them. It is possible usually to remove the palate from a denture with the click-tite implants but this depends on the gum and bone positions. Ask your dentist to see a model of these to see how it works and what kind of movement is typical. We cannot guarantee how secure this will be and there are some people who get a click-tite denture who later decide to get fixed teeth.