What are Your Options for Replacing a Missing Tooth?

Missing a natural tooth not only affects your smile and personality, but can also seriously affect your ability to eat and speak. Therefore, it is important that you must replace your missing teeth as soon as they are lost. This article offers various options that can be utilized by your dentist when it comes to replacing your missing teeth. But, before we discuss tooth replacement options, it is important that we understand why replacing missing teeth is important.

Why you Must Replace your Missing Teeth Immediately?

Tooth implant instalation process

Here are the problems which can arise if you do not get your lost natural teeth replaced in time:

So, what are My Options?

Now, we come to the options available for replacing missing natural teeth:

Dentures

dentures

Dentures are removable appliances that derive their support from the underlying oral soft tissues and neighbouring teeth with the help of metallic extensions called clasps. They are made from acrylic resins or metal alloys, and they can be used for replacing one, multiple or all missing teeth in the jaw.

Pros of Removable Dentures

Cons of Removable Dentures

Bridges

dental bridge implant

Bridges, as the name suggests, are fixed appliances which tend to “bridge” the gap created by missing teeth. Dental bridges consist of crowns which rest on the supporting natural teeth present on both sides of the missing tooth gap. The gap is then hidden with a crown which is used for replacing the lost teeth.

Pros of Dental Bridges

Cons of Dental Bridges

Dental Implants

Dental Implant illustration

A dental implant is a screw-shaped fixture made from titanium alloys, which is directly embedded within the jawbone to serve as the root component of an artificial tooth. Once an implant becomes firmly embedded inside the bone, a suitable prosthesis like a crown, denture or a fixed complete bridge is attached over it to complete the artificial tooth structure. Dental implants are by far the most popular form of tooth replacement, owing to their excellent durability and strength.

Pros of Dental Implants

Cons of Dental Implants

When it comes to replacing your missing teeth, your dentist is the best person to advise regarding the best option for you. However, dental implants have nowadays become the most preferred option for tooth replacement, both among patients and dentists. If you also want to get your smile and confidence back by replacing your lost teeth, then dental implants should be your first choice.

Find out more about Dental Implants with Dental Design today!

References

  1. A Review Of Masticatory Ability and Efficiency
    Gunhild Boretti-Matthias Bickel-Alfred Geering - (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022391305803816)
  2. Interventions For Replacing Missing Teeth: Augmentation Procedures Of the Maxillary Sinus - Esposito, M - 2014: Cochrane Library Marco Esposito-Pietro Felice-Helen Worthington
    (https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD008397.pub2/abstract)
  3. Tooth Loss, Chewing Ability and Quality Of Life Sanders
    Slade- Carter-G. H.- Hildebrandt-B. L.- Dominguez- Schork-K. J.- Joshipura- Willett- Douglass- Krall- Hayes- Garcia- Moynihan- Bradbury-R. E.- Gibson- Dillman- Slade- Allen- Slade- Nuttall- Sanders- Brooks- Diener-R. A.- Emmons-R. J.- Larsen- Griffin-J. L.- Leake- Carter-J. L.- Fleiss- Sackett-R. H.- Fletcher- Fletcher- Mangione- Steeh- Asch-M. K.- Jedrziewski-N. A.- Christakis- Yammarino- Skinner-T. L.- Childers-J. L.- Leake- Slade- Spencer- Roberts-Thomson-G. H.- Gilbert-R. P.- Duncan-J. G.- Steele- Burt- Ismail- Morrison- Brennan- Spencer-K. F.- Roberts-Thomson - (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11136-007-9293-2)
  4. Attitudes Towards Replacement Of Teeth Among Patients At the Institute Of Dental Sciences, Belgaum, India
    Kamal Shigli-Mamata Hebbal-Gangadhar Angadi - (http://www.jdentaled.org/content/71/11/1467.short)
  5. Single-tooth Replacement: Factors Affecting Different Prosthetic Treatment Modalities
    Christensen- Udoye-G. Kvale-U. Berggren-P. Milgrom- Ken- Hebel- Reena- Gajjar- Theresa Hofstede-A. Sheiham- Maizels- Cushing-D. Grembowski-P. Milgrom-L. Fiset- Brennan- Spencer-B. Öwall- Kayser- Carlsson- Douglas- Gammon- Atwood- Davenport- Basker- Heath- Ralph- Glantz-Thomas Salinas-Michael Block- Avishai- Sadan- Garcia- Rj- Cronin- Meyenberg- Imoberdorf- Urs- Paul- Krenander-Niklaus Lang- Gabor- Tepper- Robert- Haas- Georg- Mailath- Christoph- Thomas- Bernhart- Gabriel- Monov- Georg- Watzek-S. Hobo- Whitsett-D. Zlataric-A. Celebic-M. Valentic-Peruzovic-V. Jerolimov-J. Panduric-D. Arnbjerg-B. Soderfeldt-S. Palmqvist- Ge- Cw- Mj - (https://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6831-11-34)
  6. Osseointegrated Implants in Adolescents. An Alternative in Replacing Missing Teeth?
    Birgit- Kerstin- Friberg- Bertil - (https://academic.oup.com/ejo/article-abstract/16/2/84/398561)

10 Things You Need to know before Having a Tooth Implant

What Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are replacements of your teeth that might have accidentally been knocked out or need to be reduced due to cavities. Dental implants are replacements for damaged teeth that look and feel like your natural teeth. Computer-aided implant surgery is the result of advances in digital technology that allows you to experience a more pleasant experience in the dentist chair due to a shorter procedure, less pain experienced due to small surgical incisions made, and less downtime in recovery from the invasive implant process.

Implant dentistry is about a mixture of careful planning, knowledge, accuracy, precision and sound clinical judgment, as well as surgical and restorative skills.  The traditional implant method relies on the dentist to place the implant. This may result in implant malpositioning, which is when the implant is improperly placed, due to factors such as hand stability. There are also surgical guides using diagnostic wax-up models which are prone to errors due to the variability in the quality of the plaster model, and also because it is based on the gum even though implants are placed within the bone. With a fully digital guided dental implant technique, this risk is able to be eliminated

What’s the Difference Between Traditional Tooth Implants and Guided Dental Implants?

Traditional implants are usually more painful than computer-guided dental implants because it involves an incision of the gum to allow access to the jawbone and which will require stitches to close up.

This process of placing an implant relies on the dentist’s vision or feel, whoever places it is going to make an incision on gum and reflect the tissue back to the bone. On the other hand, computer-guided implant surgery due to the keyhole incision made is much less painful and requires less time. As the area is small, most of the time we do not need any stitches. Many patients tell us that they experience little to no pain during and even after the process of placing the implant, as we use a local anaesthetic to gently numb the gums and teeth around the implant. This process also takes less time than the traditional method of implants, resulting in a more pleasant session at the dentist’s chair for you.

What Do You Need to Know Before Your Dental Implant?

Dental Implant illustration

Making the decision to have a dental implant placed in your mouth is not an easy one. What are the factors and considerations before you opt for implant surgery? We provide the top ten things you need to know before your dental implant surgery.

  1. A dental implant looks and almost feels like having your own tooth back.
    The dental implant-borne restoration looks like your natural tooth as it fuses to your jawbone and becomes part of you.  Dental implants are also preferable to dentures as there is better chewing sensation, better biting strength, and no change in taste or sense of smell.
  2. Freedom and confidence to talk, dine, and laugh.
    Having a restoration done to your tooth means that you now can be able to bite into fruit or swim with confidence without worrying about the dentures coming off, or compared to dentures which may fall out. Having a fixed implant means that you can enjoy the confidence of smiling and laughing with your friends and family without feeling self-conscious about your teeth, as your implant will look similar to your natural teeth.
  3. Preserves your facial structure.
    With dentures, the bone loss in the jaw will result after prolonged use of dentures, causing the jaw bone to recede and eventually collapse.  With implants, the bone integrity is maintained due to the bite forces transmitted to the jaw. This sustains the bone structure and maintains the shape and look of your face structure, lips and cheeks.
  4. Having a gap in your teeth causes an imbalance of teeth.
    Without an implant treatment, your teeth will not be well balanced, and this gap in the teeth will cause the teeth to shift and move in an attempt to fill the gap. In the long run, this movement will damage the balance and health of existing teeth as the the shift might cause food to be stuck in the gaps. Furthermore, the opposing tooth might grow or super-erupt toward the gap, causing problems with loosening or biting on the gum, which might lead to this tooth needs to be extracted.
  5. Guided implants are usually less painful and faster healing than traditional implants.
    Most patients fear implants because they expect it to be a painful process. Computer-guided dental implants can help patients avoid most of the pain associated with the implant, as it allows the dentist to place the implant using a keyhole surgery technique that avoids needing a large incision and stitches. Healing is much better as the surgery site is smaller compared to traditional implant surgery which often results in a large wound.
  6. Minimally removes your existing teeth structure.
    Doing an implant means that you will be saving the teeth that might have been reduced if you have pursued other treatment options. If you are doing a fixed bridge restoration, the teeth adjacent to the implant to the left and the right would need to be reduced down in order to fit the fixed bridge restoration which is fitted over the gap. Doing an implant preserves the existing tooth structure as much as possible and this is the preferred option at our clinic as we are committed to saving your tooth structure as much as possible.
  7. Having an implant early helps reduce problems down the road.
    The analogy is similar to an 18 wheeler truck going down the highway. There will not be any noticeable problems if a couple of wheels are taken away in the short term. Fast forward to a year and there will be abnormal wear and damage to the structure of the teeth that have moved either forward or sideways. After a time, the real issues in balance and bite dynamics would surface in your mouth.
  8. A guided implant has a higher success rate than a regular dental implant.
    Traditionally, a dentist or periodontist typically places an implant with a free hand, according to their visualisation and by making an incision in the gum tissue to reveal the bone underneath. They do this in order to be able to see what and where they are screwing the implant into. This incision made using traditional implant methods is larger than the keyhole guided implant surgery, making recovery time longer.
  9. Implant guide is making sure that the tooth is exactly where the dentist wants to go.
    The implant plan is exported to a computer to create the placement for your implant so that the implant goes exactly where the dentist places it. The dentist mills the placement guide using CADCAM technology. This keyhole guided surgery entails a 3d visualisation of the implant site. First, the dentist takes a digital scan of your jaw using a 3D CEREC scanner and 3D CBCT X-rays. This digital scan is used to produce a customised 3D CADCAM guide which allows us to visualise the bone and eliminates the need to make a large incision on the gum. A small keyhole is made instead, which is comparatively quick and painless compared to the traditional method. This means less recovery time as it is the minimally invasive option. With keyhole guided implant surgery, almost all patients will experience next to no discomfort and post-operation pain due to the visualisation of the process of guided implant placement.
  10. Inform your dentist if you have pre-existing medical conditions.
    It is important to tell your dentist if you have conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis as these will affect the success rate of dental implant surgery. Any allergies, medications, including traditional Chinese medicine, or medical conditions must be raised to the dentist before treatment commences. The gums and teeth will also need to be healthy and having regular scaling and polishing done to maintain their healthy condition.
  11. Find out what brand your dental implant is.
    There are hundreds of different dental implant brands on the market, and most patients do not even know what kind of implant they are choosing to put into their body. The brand is important to ensure that its a good quality implant.  Dental implants are meant to last you for many years, and they will require maintenance over the years as the crown or implant parts wear out. If your implant is of an unknown brand or if it does not have parts to allow repair, the whole implant may need to be removed and replaced with a new implant. The top brands for dental implants are Astra, Straumman, Nobel Biocare and Biomet 3i. Our clinic uses Astra brand implants which are from Sweden and widely used all over the world.

Why do some tooth implants fall out very quickly, and some implants last a long time?

A dental implant is an artificial prosthesis to replace a missing part of your body, your tooth. Being in the mouth, it is put under a lot of chewing forces every day. Therefore, we want it to last you as long as possible. If the implant is placed in the wrong position, it may not be able to withstand the pressure long term and will fail.

At Dental Designs Clinic, we are able to provide dental implants that are fully computer-guided implants. Planning of the implant is done virtually, and the virtual placement is done on the 3D visualisation. The dentist plans this implant fully on the computer so that it is accurately placed and safely planned. The future implant is done in the implant placement in the software which gives dentists total control of the implant positioning which is so important for the long-term success.

The fully guided implant placement process begins with a digital scan of your jaw using the latest in digital dentistry. Using a state of the art 3D CEREC scanner and 3D CBCT X-rays, our experienced dental team takes a 3D impression of your jaw and designs the placement of the titanium implant. At our clinic, we use Astra implants which have decades of proven reliability, successful implants and longevity.

This follows with milling a 3D impression of your jaw and making a guide exactly according to where the dentist has designed your implant to be placed. The dental implant is placed after extraction of or at the site of the missing tooth. A bone graft may be done during this stage if bone material at the jaw is lacking to support the implant. After the surgery is done, a typical healing period of 3 to 6 months is allowed for the bone to heal and for the implant to stabilise. After this healing period, the crown is placed and the tooth will look similar to your original teeth.

cerec

Using our 3D CBCT X rays, we can determine that the exact placement has been implanted into your mouth. The actual result of the computer-guided implant is able to be reflected after the implant has been placed in the patient’s mouth. This provides you with much peace of mind that your implant has been accurately restored and put in place by our friendly dentists.

We also provide for same-day emergency procedures. If you had an accident resulting in a broken tooth, or if your tooth is fractured and needs to be extracted,  our same-day computer-guided implants can be done in one visit on the same day.

References

  1. Us5725376a - Methods For Manufacturing a Dental Implant Drill Guide and a Dental Implant Superstructure
    (https://patents.google.com/patent/US5725376A/en)
  2. Biomechanical Factors Affecting the Bone-dental Implant Interface
    John Brunski - (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/026766059290049Y)
  3. Dental Implant Design and Its Relationship To Long-term... : Implant Dentistry
    *Graduate student - (https://journals.lww.com/implantdent/fulltext/2003/12040/dental_implant_design_and_its_relationship_to.11.aspx)
  4. Elongation and preload stress in dental implant abutment screws
    (https://europepmc.org/article/med/7590997)
  5. Dental Implant Systems
    Elif Tuna-Oya Aktören-Koray Gençay - (https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/11/4/1580)
  6. Accuracy Of Different Types Of Computer-aided Design/computer-aided Manufacturing Surgical Guides For Dental Implant Placement
    Wei Geng-Changying Liu-Yucheng Su-Jun Li-Yanmin Zhou - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4538014/)

Medisave Dental Clinic - Medisave Accredited Clinic

Medisave Dental Claim
Medisave Accredited Clinic

Medisave Dental Clinic - Dental Designs Clinic is a Medisave Accredited Clinic approved by the Ministry of Health Singapore.
At Dental Designs Clinic, our dentists are trained in the latest techniques in dentistry to provide the best treatment available. Our clinic is equipped with high tech equipment from Germany, and we follow international European Sterilisation Standards to ensure a safe and clean environment for you and your family. Our dentists are friendly and gentle, as we understand any dental treatment and surgery is a stressful experience and we do our best to make it as stress-free as possible. We answer some commonly asked questions about Medisave and how you can use it for yourself and your family.

What Does Medisave Cover?
Medisave claim can be used for Dental Implants and Wisdom tooth surgery. Medisave dental surgery such as bone grafting, gum grafting, soft tissue grafting and other procedures are also eligible.
If you are unsure of what does Medisave cover for dental surgery, please contact us and we will be happy to advise you.

How Can I Use Medisave to Pay for my Surgery?
As long as you have a Medisave account, you can log in to Medisave website using your SingPass to check if you are able to claim Medisave funds. We can then claim directly with Medisave for your dental surgery costs so you do not have to pay upfront.
You may also use your Medisave contribution for dental surgery for your children. For example, you can use your Medisave to pay for wisdom teeth surgery for your child.

Can I use Medisave to Claim for Dental Implants?
Yes, as dental implants are considered minor surgery, you will be able to use your Medisave to claim for the implant costs up to the maximum allowed by CPF Board.

Which Dental Clinic Can Claim Medisave?
Only Medisave Accredited Clinics are able to claim for your dental surgery cost through CPF Board.As a Medisave Dental Clinic, at Dental Designs Clinic you may use your Medisave for dental surgery treatment.

What Are Dental Implants?
Dental Implants are replacement teeth for your missing tooth. They are made out of titanium and ceramic and are permanently fixed in your mouth. There are many different brands of dental implants in the market, the most common being Korean Brand Implants such as Osstem or Dentium. At Dental Designs Clinic, we use high quality Straumann Dental Implants from Switzerland, which is the pioneer of dental implants and the foremost dental implant brand in the world. We believe that having peace of mind for your dental implant and your health is invaluable.

...Click here for more on Dental Implants

What is Guided Implant Surgery and How is it Different to Normal Implants?
In Singapore, our dentist Dr Justin Giam is the first to do Fully Guided Implant Surgery with Straumann Dental Implants. Fully Guided Implant Surgery requires specialised equipment and only an experienced dentist is able to do Fully Guided Implant Surgery. The advantage of Fully Guided Implant Surgery is less pain for you, a shorter surgery time, faster healing after surgery, and the least complications compared to traditional implant surgery.

Our Dental Clinic is located in the CBD near MRT Station (Telok Ayer on Downtown Line) and within walking distance to Tanjong Pagar, Raffles Place, Marina Bay

...Click Here to Make an Appointment

Cynergy Care Network Provider - Dental Designs Clinic

Have a Cynergy Care dental card but not sure where you can use it?

Dental Designs Clinic is a Cynergy Network Provider on the Cynergy Care Dental Clinic list. As a Cynergy Care Clinic, you will get to enjoy dental coverage for your dental treatment with us.

We are located near an MRT Station (Telok Ayer on Downtown Line). Find our dental clinic on Cecil Street conveniently located within walking distance to Tanjong Pagar and Telok Ayer.

...Get Directions to Dental Designs Clinic

What Is Covered Under Cynergy Care?
Enjoy claiming your yearly insurance benefit through us. As your Cynergy dentist, we cover you fully for regular checkups, scaling and polishing. Other dental treatment are mostly covered as a co-payment with Cynergy Care dental insurance.

How Do I Claim my Cynergy Dental Insurance?
As an Cynergy Care Dental Clinic, you will get to enjoy Cynergy Dental coverage for your dental treatment with us.

Please ensure you specify "Dental Designs Clinic" when you make your appointment through Cynergy Care Network. For your appointment, Please bring along your Cynergy membership card for us to claim your treatment costs with Cynergy Care.

In pain and need an emergency appointment? Please call us as we will try our best to slot you in on the same day, to see you as soon as possible.

...Click Here to Make an Appointment

Have a cracked or chipped tooth?

We understand that this is a priority that needs to be fixed quickly, as this affects your daily life very much. The good news is, our clinic is able to provide same day restorations and crowns, which are permanent and able to fix your problem quickly. Same day crowns are as strong as or even stronger than conventional crowns which usually take two weeks to manufacture.

Read more about same day crowns here

Still not sure whether you should make an appointment?

Our clinic provides a full range of dental services to you using high-quality products from Germany and Switzerland. At Dental Designs Clinic, our dentists are trained in the latest high tech equipment such as a German SIRONA CEREC 3D CADCAM machine which can produce high quality, long lasting crowns in a day, compared to typical clinics which require 2 weeks for a crown.

Our dentists are patient and caring. We believe in working together with you to provide high-quality dental treatment that suits your needs.

You may read more about our dentists here.

Dental Designs Clinic is an AIA Panel Dentist on the AIA Group Dental Panel List

Looking for an AIA Dentist near Raffles Place and Tanjong Pagar? Dental Designs Clinic is a AIA Panel dentist located in the CBD of Singapore.

We answer some commonly asked questions about AIA Panel Dentist and how you can utilise your employee benefit or AIA insurance coverage fully with us.

I am covered under the AIA Group Dental Insurance, how do I utilise my AIA dental benefit?

We are a AIA Dental Panel Dentist in CBD near Telok Ayer MRT on Downtown Line. Enjoy convenient regular checkups and treatment with our AIA dentist near Tanjong Pagar. You can even come during lunch hour with us, as we are located near to Raffles Place, Marina Bay, Chinatown and Shenton Way.

What Is Covered with AIA Panel Dentist?

Enjoy claiming your employee benefit through us. As an AIA dentist, we fully cover you for regular checkups, scaling and polishing, x-rays and fillings, as well as other treatment, which can often be direct billed to AIA.

How Do I claim my AIA Dental Insurance with an AIA Panel Dentist?

As an AIA Dental Provider Clinic, you will get to enjoy AIA coverage for your dental treatment with us.

Please bring your AIA card for your first appointment in order for us to process your claim with AIA. Whenever possible, we direct bill your treatment charges to AIA for your convenience.

In pain and need an emergency appointment?

Please call us as we will try our best to slot you in on the same day, to see you as soon as possible.

...Click Here to Make an Appointment

Have a cracked or chipped tooth?

We understand that this is a priority that needs to be fixed quickly, as this affects your daily life very much. The good news is, our clinic is able to provide same day restorations and crowns, which are permanent and able to fix your problem quickly. Same day crowns are as strong as or even stronger than conventional crowns which usually take two weeks to manufacture.

Read more about same day crowns here

Still not sure whether you should make an appointment?

Our clinic provides a full range of dental services to you using high quality products from Germany and Switzerland. At Dental Designs Clinic, our dentists are trained in the latest high tech equipment such as a German SIRONA CEREC 3D CADCAM machine which can produce high quality, long lasting crowns in a day, compared to typical clinics which require 2 weeks for a crown.

Our dentists are patient and caring. We believe in working together with you to provide high quality dental treatment that suits your needs.

You may read more about our dentists here.