Dental implants provide a wonderful solution for the replacement of missing permanent teeth. When a tooth is lost there is a need to replace it or there will be shifting of the teeth not only in the area where the tooth is missing, but throughout that jaw and the opposite arch as well. What keeps teeth upright is the tooth next to it. When a neighbor tooth is removed, the teeth adjacent to the space will collapse into it. When a tooth is removed, the opposing tooth will drop out of line into that space. So the entire mouth shifts if the tooth is not replaced. This shift creates a cascade of negative events which negatively affect the supporting bone and gums around adjacent teeth and also increases rates of decay in those teeth.
Traditionally, missing teeth have been restored with bridges which use the teeth adjacent to the space as supports. This requires grinding down the teeth to cover them with crowns which hold the false tooth. Implant placement totally leaves the adjacent teeth untouched. Using a conventional bridge to replace the missing tooth requires that the support teeth be in solid bone and be strong teeth as well. Teeth that have any bone loss or have a history of gum problems may not be appropriate supports. Teeth that have had a history of root canal treatment or previous crowns may also be weaker and not strong enough to function as a bridge support. The option of the dental implant is a godsend in these challenging situations.