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.

Diagram showing missing left tooth

A single missing tooth can be replaced with a bridge or an implant and crown.

Diagram showing Tooth replacement with a bridge

Tooth replacement with a bridge requires cutting down the adjacent natural teeth to place crowns and a false tooth to serve as space maintainer.

Diagram showing Tooth replacement with a dental implant

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 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

At Lytle, Tate & Stamper, pursuant to our commitment to adhering to the highest quality standards, we use only genuine Straumann and Nobel Biocare dental implants.

To learn more about how dental implants can replace a single missing tooth, please visit The Dental Implant Guide.

About Our Practice

At Lytle, Tate & Stamper, we have a conveniently located office in Pasadena, where we are ready to serve you. It is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and highly trained staff, including dedicated Implant Coordinators, to ensure efficiency and a positive experience for you at every stage of your treatment.

In addition, our surgeons are among the most experienced around in providing surgical implant procedures. They are all recognized by the American Dental Association as specialists in oral and maxillofacial surgery, members of the Academy of Osseointegration, a professional organization dedicated to dental implant procedure research and education, and they also serve on the Advisory Board of the Institute for Dental Implant Awareness. If you’re considering a dental implant solution to your missing tooth, trust yourself to the Foothill Center for Dental Implants & Oral Surgery – call us today for an appointment.

In need of a single tooth replacement? Pasadena’s Drs Lytle, Stamper and Chan are here to help. Call to schedule your consultation today at (626) 792-3161!