Missing Teeth
A large gap caused by a missing tooth or teeth can also be readily solved. With only one or two teeth missing, the options to fill the space are greater. Implants are tooth-like titanium screws planted into the space and built up with a crown to resemble a natural tooth! Implants are ideal if the other teeth surrounding the space are non-restored, “virgin” teeth. However, implants are restricted to certain sites in the mouth, and are still very costly.
Implant Care
Implants are imbedded into the jaw bone to act as roots of teeth. Implants can be a single unit or multiple units as when supporting fixed bridges or removable dentures.
If surrounded by natural teeth, a single implant would be brushed and flossed along with the natural teeth. When two or more implants are fixed to a bridge – use the floss threads and interproximal brushes with warm water to clean all around the heads of the implant and under the bridge.
For implants supporting a removable denture – again use the smaller interproximal brushes gently all around the exposed parts of the implant. NEVER use any metal brushes or metal picks on the implant since this will damage the smooth outer surface of the implant making it more susceptible to plaque and tartar build-up.
