A Missing Tooth
After a tooth is lost, the bone that held it begins to shrink within months, and the teeth around it start to drift. Replacing it early helps keep the bone and the bite. An implant is usually the best replacement; a bridge or partial is right in some cases.
“My two lower bicuspids became loose because there wasn’t sufficient bone to keep them stable. Dr Verrett assessed the situation and described two options. … His work was excellent as was the outcome. All of the staff are efficient and friendly.”
“My recent dental implant by Dr Verrett was so much easier than I anticipated. His extensive experience is demonstrated by his calm and confident professionalism. His work is excellent and I was well taken care of by his staff.”
What Happens After a Tooth Is Lost
The bone that surrounded the root has no reason to stay, and it resorbs. Most of that change happens early. In a systematic review by Tan and colleagues in Clinical Oral Implants Research, sockets left to heal on their own lost roughly 29 to 63 percent of ridge width and 11 to 22 percent of ridge height in the first six months, most of it in the first three. The American Academy of Periodontology describes the same thing in plainer terms: the jawbone recedes when it is no longer holding a tooth in place, leaving an indentation that has to be rebuilt before an implant can sit naturally. The neighboring teeth tip into the space and the tooth above or below it over-erupts. Chewing shifts to the other side. None of this is dramatic month to month, and all of it makes later treatment harder.
The Options
A dental implant replaces the root, helps maintain the bone, leaves the neighbors alone, and is cleaned like a tooth. Dental implants.
A fixed bridge uses crowns on the neighboring teeth to hold a false tooth. Faster and no surgery, at the cost of grinding down two teeth and not preserving bone.
A removable partial denture is the least expensive and the least comfortable. Useful as a transition or when several teeth are missing and implants aren’t practical now.
What We’d Do
A consult with a cone-beam CT to see the bone, an assessment of the neighboring teeth and your bite, and a written plan with the options and Dr. Verrett’s recommendation. Your dentist is part of the plan because they make the crown, bridge, or partial.
If several teeth or a whole arch are involved, full-arch implant reconstruction replaces them on a smaller number of implants.
How we treat it: Dental Implants in Austin, or request a consult.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to replace it?
A back molar with a good tooth on either side can sometimes be left, though the opposing tooth may over-erupt and the neighbors tip. A visible tooth or one that supports your bite should be replaced. We'll tell you honestly which yours is.
How soon after the extraction should an implant go in?
Either the same day, if the socket allows, or after the socket has healed for about three months. Waiting years is the problem: the bone shrinks and grafting becomes necessary.
What if the tooth was lost long ago?
The site is evaluated on a cone-beam CT. If bone has shrunk, it is rebuilt with a graft before or during implant placement. Long-missing teeth are replaced successfully in most cases; they usually take one more step.