WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT HAVING A MISSING TOOTH

After the tooth is extracted, a space is left between the teeth. Over many years, without treatment, the following long term consequences usually occur:

• The neighbouring teeth can start to tip or drift inwards towards the space. As this happens, food will get stuck under these teeth and it can be harder to clean.

• In most cases, the opposing tooth will also start to ‘grow’ or ‘super-erupt’ towards the space. Eventually, the tooth may end up loose or biting on the gum and may need to be extracted.
• The bone where the tooth socket used to be will gradually become less dense and may dip down.

If these happen, additional complex treatment may be needed before we can replace the teeth. Therefore, we always recommend that you consider all options carefully if you decide to extract your tooth.

• Bridges cover a gap between two teeth. It is made of 2 crowns on the supporting teeth and a prosthetic tooth suspended in the middle. Patients who want to avoid surgery or who are unable to have dental implants usually opt for this option as it is a fixed option that is long lasting and natural looking.

To ensure the best aesthetics and function, we do most of our crowns and bridges inhouse, using a 3D CAD-CAM system – CEREC Sirona. Each crown is custom made to fit your teeth and mouth with impeccable precision.

We can provide high quality crowns and bridges in just a single day, unlike the typical way that can take up to 2 weeks. 

Dentures can be supported with implants, to improve the stability and retention of the dentures, especially when eating or speaking.