Who cares if i’ve lost a back tooth - no one can see it!

It may seem like losing a tooth – especially one that’s not easily visible –  isn’t such a big deal. But did you know that there are several significant consequences to losing a tooth, especially to the orofacial complex, and to the shape of your face over time?

 The consequences include a loss of bone volume and density causing an acceleration of the appearance of facial aging, overloading and movement of the remaining teeth, which can increase the risk of residual tooth fracture, bite disturbances and gum disease. Additionally, there can be difficulties with chewing, speaking, smiling, and even an increased risk of further tooth losses. 

When a tooth is lost leaving a gap in the dental arch, the teeth on either side of that missing tooth start to drift into the gap remaining, more detrimentally however is when the opposite tooth over erupt into the gap as it has no opposing tooth to keep it in place. Unfortunately, this often leads to the loss of an additional tooth over time. The end result is the loss of not just one tooth, but two teeth!

So how can you bridge a gap to prevent this? Traditionally, gaps were ‘bridged’ by an artificial tooth, attached to the teeth either side of the gap with crowns. This is a great solution for many people especially when the teeth either side of the gap have been weakened by decay, fillings, or cracks over time and could benefit from the reinforcement of crown anyway. However, if these teeth either side of the gap are in very good condition, it could be considered unnecessary treatment to crown these teeth when a dental implant could be placed in the gap as a stand-alone tooth replacement.

Implant treatment has a success rate of over 95%, making it one of the most successful dental treatments available. Dr Alex Ritchie is highly trained in all aspects of implant dentistry and uses state-of-the-art keyhole surgical techniques, which are minimally invasive and virtually pain-free. As always Alex’s top priority is patient comfort and safety, in addition to obtaining excellent outcomes.

Currently, at Dental on Cambridge we are offering a ‘start to finish’ implant treatment, including finished crown attachment for $4400, which is a $1099 discount for standard implant cases.