Tooth loss can be extremely distressing, no matter how it occurs and how many teeth you have lost.
It can affect every facet of your life and knock your self-confidence too – but it’s not rare. In a 2021 self-reported study, only 55% of men and 56% of women have 28 or more of the expected 32 natural teeth.
It’s also not something you have to put up with, thanks to the wide range of tooth loss treatments.
So, which false tooth options are right for you?
Options for replacing one missing tooth
If you have one missing tooth, as a result of trauma or decay, single tooth dental implants are the ideal solution for you.
Using a single dental implant screw, an abutment, and a prosthetic crown, you can quickly and discreetly fill in the gap, no matter the location in your arch.
Plus, with the ability to blend your prosthetic crown in with the rest of your natural teeth – nobody will even know you’re missing a natural tooth.
Benefits of single tooth dental implants:
- Immediate placement is available
If you are eligible, we can fit a temporary crown on the day we fit your implant, leaving you with a complete bite on surgery day.
- You can care for them just like your natural teeth
There’s no need to remove your prosthetic to keep your dental implant clean, just brush and floss as normal.
- Fixed tooth replacement ensures there is no slippage
- You can enjoy a full and balanced diet
Once fully healed, you’ll be able to enjoy everything from steak and bone-in chicken to crunchy fruits and vegetables.
False tooth options for just a few missing teeth
What about if you have multiple missing teeth – is there an option for you?
Absolutely, it just depends a little more on your personal circumstances. Read on to find the ideal tooth replacement option for you.
If your missing teeth are spaced out
Some patients come to us with a few individual missing teeth dotted about throughout the arch.
In this instance, we would replace multiple missing teeth with several individual dental implants rather than a bridge.
This allows us to blend the prosthetic teeth in with your natural teeth and restore your bite with a stable, fixed implant solution – restoring your smile and your ability to enjoy a wide range of food and drinks again.
Benefits of multiple single dental implants:
- Get multiple dental implants in one sitting
Although this can make recovery more complex – as you will be tender in multiple areas of the jaw simultaneously – it cuts down recovery time and saves hours in the dentist’s chair.
- Immediate placement is available
If you are eligible, we can fit temporary crowns on the same day as we fit your implants, completing your arch in one fell swoop.
- They can last a lifetime
As long as you brush and floss regularly and visit a dental professional, your dental implants can last as long as your natural teeth.
If you have a few missing adjacent teeth
If you are looking for false tooth options for missing teeth in a row, we can use a removable bridge or a dental implant bridge to fill in the gap and replace them.
Removable bridges
A removable bridge offers a more affordable replacement solution that uses metal wings that lean on the teeth on either side of the gap – using a bridge of prosthetic teeth in the middle.
However, using wings can weaken the natural teeth and as the bridge can be removed, it won’t last as long as a fixed option (at least a decade less).
Benefits of a removable bridge
- A more affordable option
- Much less invasive treatment option
This can be especially attractive if you are nervous about dental procedures or for those who cannot accommodate longer healing periods.
- Can colour-match your natural teeth
- Might be covered by insurance policies
Just remember to check with the insurance provider if you intend to make a claim.
Implant-retained bridges
An implant-retained bridge, on the other hand, is secured to the jaw using dental implant screws and offers a fixed, permanent solution that blends in with the patients existing teeth perfectly.
Benefits of dental implant bridges
- You can enjoy a full diet
With an implant-retained bridge, you can enjoy everything from chewier meats and fresh raw vegetables without concern.
- Restores the jawbone and ensures you don’t lose bone mass or strength
- Can last 20-30 years or more
- More natural appearance
What if you have mass tooth loss?
If you are missing an arch or more natural teeth, a full mouth restoration is the choice for you.
A full mouth restoration can now restore the upper or lower arch of teeth with either:
- Full-mouth fixed bridges
- Implant-supported overdentures
- Full-mouth dental implants
Full-mouth fixed bridges
A full arch implant-retained bridge is one possible solution for mass tooth loss.
It helps to restore a natural-looking smile as well as support the patient’s facial structures, which can look wasted or shrunken without the structure of teeth to support them.
Benefits of full-mouth fixed bridges:
- Restores chewing and speech function
Boosting your self-esteem and your menu options!
- Prevents tooth shifting around the missing teeth
- More accessible treatment option
It should be noted that this treatment is not suitable for all patients, so you will need to confirm this at consultation.
Implant-supported overdentures
Interested in dentures but want a more permanent option? Consider the implant-supported overdenture, which usually uses four implants to secure it to the jaw.
Giving patients the security they crave and a natural-looking smile all in one false tooth option.
Benefits of implant-supported overdentures:
- They are immovable while the patient is eating or speaking
Allowing you to enjoy almost anything you feel like eating.
- You can clean your overdenture just like natural teeth
- Overdentures usually cost less than full-mouth fixed bridges
Full-mouth dental implants
If you have enough bone, you can consider full-mouth dental implants, which use multiple implants or a full arch prosthesis – depending on your preferences and anatomy.
Benefits of full-mouth dental implants:
- It provides a very natural-looking solution for missing teeth
- Long-lasting and highly durable solution means the solution can last for decades
- Immediate placement on surgery day is possible, depending on the patient
If you need specialist false tooth options
Teeth in a day
If you need a new smile ahead of a big event, like a graduation or a wedding, and you are eligible you could consider teeth in a day implants.
This solution uses immediate placement to fit a temporary prosthesis on the same day as the dental implant screws are fitted – allowing patients to enjoy their brand-new smiles on their special days.
Benefits of teeth in a day implants:
- Your smile will look very natural
- They stop the loss of bone in the jaw
- If you have remaining teeth on the other arch, your prosthesis can be customised to help them blend in
To see if you are eligible for teeth in a day implants or other temporary restorations, you will need to book a consultation with our experienced team.
Zygomatic implants
If you have been told you have bone loss but want dental implants on your upper arch to solve your loss of teeth, you may be considering preparatory treatments like bone grafts and sinus lifting.
What about if there was a solution that avoided this altogether? Such as zygomatic implants – which can be fitted in just two appointments.
Benefits of zygomatic implants:
- Removes the extra cost and healing associated with additional treatments
- If eligible, can include immediate crown placement
- Looks very natural
- Can blend prosthetics in with your natural teeth
Contact MIC for tooth loss treatments that are suitable for all
Although unpleasant, there are plenty of false tooth options you can consider, no matter your dental circumstances and preferences.
To finally wave goodbye to gapped or missing teeth, why not speak to the experts at Marylebone Implant Centre?
As finalist candidates for Best Patient Care 2021 at the Private Dentistry Awards, our team do everything they can to support you in your dental journey, no matter what treatment you decide is best.
To book an appointment to discuss your hopes for treatment or to ask questions, you can call us on 020 3285 6142 or email us at [email protected] and we’ll be in touch as soon as we can to get your tooth restoration journey started.