Avoid Dental Implants

Can we avoid inserting dental implants completely when a tooth is lost? Is a denture or bridge the only way out?

Should we spend the time, effort and money to repair a badly damaged tooth and save it?

The best way to avoid dental implants, dentures or bridges is to move existing teeth to close the space.

 

How can braces or Invisalign treatment help me avoid dental implant surgeries?

Space is needed to straighten crooked teeth and to bring in protruding front teeth.

It makes sense and is more cost effective to remove the rotten tooth and use that space to straighten the rest of the teeth!

The rotten tooth is REPLACED with a beautiful and healthy smile. That’s a win-win situation worth smiling about.

Let’s sit together and discuss together with the dentists and Orthodontists as there are many factors to consider before closing the missing tooth space.

Factors to consider before closing the extracted tooth space:

    1. Facial profile
    2. Lip fullness
    3. Thickness of lips
    4. Amount of dental crowding/ crooked teeth
    5. Quality of bone
    6. Age of patient

 

What happens after tooth extraction?

Remove the damaged tooth and the pain is gone. But shall we do next? We quickly get swept back into the business of everyday life and forget about the extraction space.

This WILL eventually happen :

  1. The neighboring teeth start to drift and fall into the extraction space
  2. The dental center line drifts
  3. Strange small spaces appear, trapping food and become difficult to clean
  4. With multiple tooth loss, the bite collapses, face prematurely ages and lips thin out
  5. Soon there won’t be enough space for a replacement tooth of the correct size and shape

 

How can braces help me if I have lost a tooth many years ago? 

If the quality of bone is poor due to tooth loss many years ago, then Orthodontic treatment using Invisalign or fixed braces can be used to regain spaces for tooth replacement.
The neighboring teeth are gently moved to the correct place so that a replacement tooth of a proper size and shape can be placed. This ensures better aesthetics and oral function.
With careful planning with our restorative dentists, we aim to minimize the number of replacement teeth for our patients. In cases where multiple teeth have been lost over the years, we can redistribute and consolidate spaces such that crooked teeth are straightened AND fewer replacement teeth are needed. This creates a beautiful smile and reduces the cost of restorative dental work.

Now that’s certainly worth smiling about!