• Tooth-supported fixed bridge—Adds crowns to abutment teeth on either side of the vacancy and uses these to support a new prosthetic tooth, called a pontic. A downside to a bridge is the modification of existing tooth structure in adding the crowns to the abutment teeth.
• Resin-bonded bridge—May apply if the missing tooth is in the front and doesn’t need the biting force of back teeth. For this bridge, the pontic is attached to the abutment teeth with little clips, or wings, meaning the abutment teeth do not have to be altered.
• Single tooth dental implant—Can last your whole life, while being better visually and more stable than a bridge. But it requires oral surgery, in which the dentist sinks a new titanium root into the gum. The root, called a post, can take weeks or even months to solidify with the existing bone, during which time you will wear a temporary replacement tooth.
Most patients who qualify prefer a dental implant. Ask our Beverly Hills dental implants dentist for more information.