I have one missing incisor, which has been missing my entire life, and another one that has been deformed. It’s smaller than my other teeth and further back than the adjacent teeth. I had orthodontics done a couple of years ago in order to get my teeth in the right position. I currently have a dental flipper temporarily holding the space open. Now I am looking for a more permanent solution for both teeth. How would you advise me?
Carla
Dear Carla,
The best tooth replacement is a dental implant. This places a prosthetic tooth root in your bone and then anchors a dental crown to the implant. This will be the closest thing to having a healthy, natural tooth in your mouth. It will be completely secure. If that is out of your budget, there are other options, such as a dental bridge. However, that requires the two adjacent teeth to be ground down for dental crowns. If they’re healthy, you want to avoid that.
As for the recessed tooth, depending on how far back this tooth is you may be able to improve the appearance of the tooth with a porcelain veneer or a dental crown.
You did not mention whether or not the teeth are upper or lower incisors. If you are talking about upper incisors you want to make sure you have an expert cosmetic dentist do the work. Those teeth are very visible and exposed to the light, which makes it more challenging.
I think this is beyond the scope of your average family dentist. The big challenge you are going to face is that you will need someone with expertise in both cosmetic dentistry and implant dentistry. You want to make sure that they have post-doctoral training in both areas. Dental school is not enough.
This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.