If you've lost a tooth or need to have one extracted, you have to decide how to replace it. Of all the options available none can match both the lifelikeness and function of a dental implant.

A dental implant is a prosthetic (false) tooth that mimics the root of a natural tooth. Once that implant root form fuses to the surrounding bone, we attach the crown, which is the part of the tooth you can see.

While other replacement options like bridges or dentures can restore the lifelikeness of the tooth crown, they don't replace the root. An implant's titanium post can: using a minor surgical procedure we imbed the post into the bone. Because bone cells have a natural affinity with titanium, they will grow around and adhere to the post over a few weeks after surgery. This further adds strength to the implant's hold in the bone.

Although the attachment isn't exactly like natural teeth, it can maintain this hold for many years. And because it encourages bone growth, a dental implant will help minimize bone loss, a natural consequence of losing teeth. Other replacement options can't do that.

Of course, implants are more costly than other restorations. With an attached crown, an implant can replace any number of teeth. But if you have extensive tooth loss, bridges or dentures would be more cost-effective selections.

But even then, implants could still play a role. We can strategically place a small number of implants as supports for a bridge or even a removable denture. Not only will the implants better secure their attachment, they'll also stimulate bone growth.

Is a dental implant the right choice for you? Visit us for a complete examination and evaluation. Afterward we can discuss your options and whether this phenomenal tooth restoration method could help restore your smile.

If you would like more information on dental implants, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Dental Implants: Your Best Option for Replacing Teeth.”

In real life he was a hard-charging basketball player through high school and college. In TV and the movies, he has gone head-to-head with serial killers, assorted bad guys… even mysterious paranormal forces. So would you believe that David Duchovny, who played Agent Fox Mulder in The X-Files and starred in countless other large and small-screen productions, lost his front teeth… in an elevator accident?

“I was running for the elevator at my high school when the door shut on my arm,” he explained. “The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the hospital. I had fainted, fallen on my face, and knocked out my two front teeth.” Looking at Duchovny now, you’d never know his front teeth weren’t natural. But that’s not “movie magic” — it’s the art and science of modern dentistry.

How do dentists go about replacing lost teeth with natural-looking prosthetics? Today, there are two widely used tooth replacement procedures: dental implants and bridgework. When a natural tooth can’t be saved — due to advanced decay, periodontal disease, or an accident like Duchovny’s — these methods offer good looking, fully functional replacements. So what’s the difference between the two? Essentially, it’s a matter of how the replacement teeth are supported.

With state-of-the-art dental implants, support for the replacement tooth (or teeth) comes from small titanium inserts, which are implanted directly into the bone of the jaw. In time these become fused with the bone itself, providing a solid anchorage. What’s more, they actually help prevent the bone loss that naturally occurs after tooth loss. The crowns — lifelike replacements for the visible part of the tooth — are securely attached to the implants via special connectors called abutments.

In traditional bridgework, the existing natural teeth on either side of a gap are used to support the replacement crowns that “bridge” the gap. Here’s how it works: A one-piece unit is custom-fabricated, consisting of prosthetic crowns to replace missing teeth, plus caps to cover the adjacent (abutment) teeth on each side. Those abutment teeth must be shaped so the caps can fit over them; this is done by carefully removing some of the outer tooth material. Then the whole bridge unit is securely cemented in place.

While both systems have been used successfully for decades, bridgework is now being gradually supplanted by implants. That’s because dental implants don’t have any negative impact on nearby healthy teeth, while bridgework requires that abutment teeth be shaped for crowns, and puts additional stresses on them. Dental implants also generally last far longer than bridges — the rest of your life, if given proper care. However, they are initially more expensive (though they may prove more economical in the long run), and not everyone is a candidate for the minor surgery they require.

Which method is best for you? Don’t try using paranormal powers to find out: Come in and talk to us. If you would like more information about tooth replacement, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can learn more in the Dear Doctor magazine articles “Crowns & Bridgework,” and “Dental Implants.”