Restoring a Missing Front Tooth With a Dental Implant

Missing central incisor due to extensive decay and fracture.

It can be devastating to lose a front tooth! Thank goodness we now have ways to replace missing teeth so that look it looks as if you were able to grow a new tooth. The best answer may be a Dental Implant and and Implant Crown. The single missing front tooth is also one of the most difficult restorative challenges for a dentist. The restoration that is chosen should look natural so that it is difficult to tell which teeth have been restored. When done correctly, a dental implant may be your best choice of the available options! Dental implants are like “Bionic Teeth” because they simulate growing a new tooth. The dental implant becomes the root of the tooth, then we add an implant abutment which becomes the portion that passes through the gums like the crown of one of your natural teeth. An implant crown is placed on the implant abutment to match your adjacent teeth.

Central incisor replaced with an implant and an implant crown restores this smile!

The gum tissue surrounding the restored tooth must also look natural. When a tooth is lost there may be trauma to the surrounding gum tissue. The bone may collapse into the space that used to be occupied by the tooth root as part of the healing process and the tissue will often recede. This can easily create an esthetic problem – especially on front teeth where the gum tissue is displayed when smiling or talking. Loss of bone over the root and bone collapse creates an indentation where the tooth root used to be and the pretty triangles of pink gum tissue that should be present between teeth can flatten out and appear as an odd defect in an otherwise beautiful smile. Placing a dental implant – possibly combined with bone grafting and/or tissue augmentation – followed by a custo

Implant and abutment in place for a new crown.

The new crown should look natural – as if you grew a new near perfect tooth!

Your dentist should be able to show you before and after photos of restorations of dental implants and implant crowns they have completed of similar situations. Your dentist should also be able to recommend dental specialists when needed that they are comfortable working with for your dental implant to give you the best care.

Keeping healthy teeth helps maintain healthy bone surrounding the teeth, and maintains the gum in an ideal position. Missing teeth – especially front teeth – should be restored as soon as possible for the most ideal result. Here an implant and crown has been used to restore this missing front tooth.

In our Grand Junction, Colorado office we are lucky to have several dental specialists such as oral surgeons and periodontists close to us who work with dental implants to help create the best results possible for our patients. Dental implants are usually placed by one of these specialists but the treatment must be coordinated with the dentist who will complete the dental implant restorations to help assure an ideal result. Our office phone number is (970) 242-3635. Please call us if you have questions about dental implants, implant crowns, or any dental concerns. We would love to hear from you! Also, please see our website www.juliegillisdds.com for further information.

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Restoring a Missing Front Tooth With a Dental Implant

Yours for better dental health,

Julie Gillis DDS, AAACD

Restoring Teeth, Restoring Smiles