A missing tooth changes how you eat and speak and how you feel about smiling, and over time the teeth around the gap drift into it. There are three ways to replace teeth: dentures, bridges and dental implants. We offer all three, and the right one depends on your mouth, your health and your budget. Our team talks you through each so that you can choose with confidence.
Dentures
A denture is a removable plate carrying one or more replacement teeth. A partial denture fills gaps between your own teeth and clips to them; a full denture replaces all the teeth in one jaw. Dentures are the quickest and least costly way to replace several teeth, and they involve no surgery. They take a few weeks to get used to, they come out for cleaning and at night, and because the gum changes shape over the years they need relining or replacing from time to time.
Bridges
A bridge is a false tooth fixed permanently to the teeth beside the gap. It stays in your mouth, feels close to natural and is usually finished in two or three visits. The teeth that hold a conventional bridge are shaped to carry crowns, so it suits a gap whose neighbours already have large fillings better than one between two untouched teeth. An adhesive bridge, bonded to the back of one neighbouring tooth, can replace a single front tooth with very little preparation.
Dental implants
An implant is a small titanium post placed in the jawbone where the root used to be. Once the bone has healed around it, which takes a few months, a crown, a bridge or a denture is fixed on top. An implant stands by itself, so the neighbouring teeth are left alone, and it helps to keep the bone in that part of the jaw. It involves a minor operation, takes the longest and costs the most at the start. You need healthy gums and enough bone, and smoking and poorly controlled diabetes lower the success rate.
How we help you decide
It begins with an examination and X-rays, and for implants a 3D scan to measure the bone. Your dentist then sets out what would work in your mouth, how long each option takes, what it costs and how long it can be expected to last. You are given the plan in writing. Leaving a gap is also a choice, and sometimes a reasonable one: we will say so when it is.
Common questions
Am I too old for implants? Age matters less than the health of your gums and bone.
Can a loose denture be fixed with implants? Often. Two or more implants can hold a full denture firmly in place.
Does placing an implant hurt? It is done under local anaesthetic, with sedation for those who want it. Most people compare the days afterwards to having a tooth out.
Do replacement teeth need looking after? Yes: the same daily cleaning and regular hygiene visits as natural teeth.
