Why can replacing an anterior tooth with an implant be difficult?

Most people have heard that implants are the preferable way to replace a missing tooth. Unfortunately it is not always true since many anterior sites either lack sufficient room, sufficient bone or two much missing gum tissue at the prospective implant site.

Some anterior teeth are not housed completely in bone but instead have roots that are prominent and perforate the buccal bone. When they are lost, it can  be a challenge grafting sufficient bone for an implant.

Some times missing teeth have adjacent teeth whose roots are tipped towards the edentulous area (canine teeth frequently are tipped mesially in order to fit into a constricted arch). When this happens an implant can not be safely placed because it may end up touching the root of an adjacent tooth (a bad thing).

If there is not sufficient vertical height of the bone, a resulting implant tooth may appear noticeably longer than the adjacent teeth. When this is the case, often a tissue graft and cantilever bridge with a ovate pontic is often a better choice than a single tooth implant  with pink porcelain ( to mask the missing gum) .

To sum up, not all missing teeth should end up being replaced with implants and sometimes. Still implants, when feasible are usually the best option when sufficient supporting bone and gingiva are present.



from Ask Dr. Spindel - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/2017/08/why-can-replacing-anterior-tooth-with.html - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/

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