A single missing tooth may not seem like much to worry about until you have one yourself. Awkward gaps in your chewing surface are bad enough, but when that single tooth is missing from a visible part of your smile, you’ll likely find yourself eager for a solution. Pasadena tooth replacement patients should be aware, though, that a missing tooth is far more than a mere cosmetic or functional concern – without proper treatment, it can compromise your long-term oral health.
Common Options for Tooth Replacement
Pasadena patients seeking treatment for a single missing tooth generally receive either a tooth supported bridge or an implant supported crown. Let’s have a closer look at each method:
- Tooth Supported Bridge: Traditional tooth-supported bridges can provide a very esthetically pleasing and functional solution for a time, but they carry with them a few caveats. Because these bridges require the support of neighboring teeth to stay in place, those teeth are filed down into peg shapes to accommodate the cementing of the required hardware. Over time, the constant pulling on neighboring teeth can cause those healthy teeth to become loose and even fall out. Traditional bridges also do nothing to prevent the deterioration of jaw bone that occurs when teeth are missing.
- Implant Supported Crown: Unlike a traditional tooth-supported bridge, implant supported crowns don’t require stabilization from neighboring healthy teeth but, instead, derive strength from the implant itself. This lends to a much more natural and comprehensive approach to treatment and conveys many additional benefits over traditional bridges, as outlined below.
A single missing tooth can be replaced with a bridge or a dental implant and crown.
Tooth replacement with a bridge requires cutting down the adjacent natural teeth to place crowns and a false tooth to serve as a space maintainer.
Tooth replacement with a dental implant and crown replicates the anatomy of a natural tooth and does not compromise the adjacent teeth.
Benefits of Implant-Supported Crowns
Pasadena tooth replacement patients can look forward to all of these dental implant benefits over traditional tooth-supported bridges:
- Much more natural look, feel, and function
- Long-term viability for lower cost over life than bridges, which need replacing every 10 years or less
- Neighboring healthy teeth aren’t used for support and, thus, aren’t compromised
- Direct implant into the jawbone protects against bone deterioration and keeps facial structure intact
- Can be easily cared for through normal brushing and flossing
Restore Your Smile with Trusted Dental Implants in Pasadena
At Foothill Center for Dental Implants and Oral Surgery, pursuant to our commitment to adhering to the highest quality standards, we use only genuine Straumann and Nobel Biocare dental implants. Learn more about how dental implants can replace multiple missing teeth or a full arch of teeth from our website. You can also schedule a consultation at our Pasadena office by calling (626) 792-3161.
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Real Patient Reviews
Hear From Our Satisfied Patients
“Dr. Chan and his staff are wonderful!! My dentist keeps raving about how good of a job Dr. Chan did when he did my implant and surgical tooth removal. His office staff is very organized and professional. I appreciate his office so much!”
Melanie S. –
“Fantastic dental office for oral surgery. I’ve been to many and this one is hands down the best. I had all of my wisdom teeth removed at the same time. The procedure was painless and healed very quickly. Dr. Chan is wonderful, informative and straight forward.”
Tony O. –
“Dr. Chan and team rock! I am a busy parent just like you. Got news that my 19 year old needed wisdom teeth extraction immediately. Leaving for college in less than a week, we were referred to Dr Chan and Foothill Center. They got us in quickly and recommended we do all four.
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C M. –
“Dr. Chan and staff are amazing. I had a broken tooth get infected and was causing severe pain. I was able to get a referral from my dentist to see Dr Chan for removal with sedation. Dr Chan was knowledgeable, took time to answer all my questions and had a great sense of humor (direly needed since I’d been in pain for about 4 days). ”
Petunia W. –
“Dr. Chan was a great asset to my care. He helped take out my wisdom teeth with a breeze. I was only swollen for a week and did not have any issues. I referred him to my whole family who needed wisdom teeth removal. ”
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