Missing Teeth

Un-replaced missing back teeth behave like books on a bookshelf –

when we remove one, the books on each side tend to fall into the gap. It happens in slow motion:

As teeth are lost, the remaining teeth may shift from their original positions, and teeth opposite the toothless areas extrude downward:

The problem is that we then get gaps between the other teeth and bacterial colonies can grow in the gaps:

and we see gum disease and the teeth get loose:

Also, as the teeth tip over, they start to crack more because there are more chewing forces acting on the edges of the teeth.

Therefore, the more teeth there are, the less pressure on all the teeth.

Dental Bridges

Gaps with one or more missing teeth can be restored to their natural-looking appearance with bridges if dental implants are not suitable.

A bridge consists of a porcelain or ceramic ‘fake’ tooth to fill the gap, joined to a porcelain crown on each adjacent tooth.  

The procedure is usually very straight-forward and takes two visits.

Bridges are best suitable for situations where both adjacent teeth are heavily filled and would benefit from being crowned in their own right.

The result is a long lasting, natural-looking tooth replacement with strong, protected teeth on each side.  A bridge can restore normal chewing function and helps to spread the pressure of your bite more evenly, which may protect the rest of your teeth from overloading.

Dental Implants

Dental implants are often the best solution to replace missing teeth because it is a 1-tooth solution to a 1-tooth problem.

An implant is a porcelain or ceramic tooth fixed to a titanium screw, which is inserted into the jawbone and acts as replacement root portion for your own missing tooth.

You can have a dental implant placed in either your lower jaw or upper jaw and thanks to the biocompatible properties that titanium has, the implant will eventually fuse with your jawbone so that it can act as a strong anchor, supporting your replacement teeth.  The result is a strong, long lasting tooth replacement that restores your normal chewing and biting function and looks like a natural tooth.  This makes dental implants very suitable for replacing single or multiple missing teeth.

The implant placement procedure is typically straight-forward, and its goal is to allow the implant to fully fuse with your jawbone. The initial implant placement stage can usually be performed under local anaesthetic and patients report that the level of post-treatment comfort is similar to other common dental procedures, with a short healing time.

Once the implant has fully fused with the jawbone, a ceramic tooth is secured on top.

If you have no remaining natural teeth, two or more dental implants can be used to anchor a denture. This makes the denture more stable in the mouth and prevents it from moving around when speaking and eating:

Many of our patients that had their teeth replaced with dental implants have achieved a level of comfort, function, and appearance they haven’t had for years or even decades.