Making Room For Implants Or Making Implants Fit: Which Will Your Dentist Choose?

Generally, if you are seeking dental implants, you have more than one tooth missing that needs a replacement. However, there are people who only need one implant here or there. In those instances, your dentist will either choose to make room for an implant, or make the implant fit the space. Here is how your dentist makes that choice. 

You Have Overcrowding as It Is

If the implant is supposed to fill a gap next to some teeth that are already overcrowded, your dentist may discuss with you the possibility of removing a tooth to make room for the implant. It resolves the issue of overcrowding with your existing teeth while simultaneously opening up the gum tissue he/she would have to cut open to insert the implant anyway. Then the rest of your teeth will not be quite as crowded, and the implant will not be forcing additional problems onto the already overcrowded teeth. 

Your Teeth Need Straightening

Sometimes a dentist will have you wear an invisible orthodontic brace after an implant is placed. The brace helps straighten out the natural teeth you have and fill any gaps that remain between your natural teeth and the implants. Moving the natural teeth to fit around the implant is less painful than pulling the teeth, plus it makes your smile better and straightener. 

You Have Straight, Tiny Teeth

Maybe the problem is not so much overcrowding. Maybe you have perfectly straight teeth, but the teeth you have are small. This leaves an equally small opening for an implant, which your dentist will have to carefully sculpt to fit. In this case, he/she does not want to remove any teeth because it would leave a really obvious and very wide opening for the opening, plus a gap between the implant and the next tooth. Worse still, an implant that is too large will stick out and look out of place when you smile, so the dentist will not remove teeth but reshape the implant instead.

You Have Petite Bone Structure in Your Jaw

The very first dental implants were a "one size fits most" product. When it became apparent that not all bone structures and all jaws could effectively fit abutment screws for implants, smaller screws were developed. Now people with more petite jaw structure can have implants fitted for their size and for their bone density. This is just one more example of how implants have changed to meet a unique patient need, and why your dentist will be able t find and fit implants to your mouth. 

For more information about dental implants, contact your dentist.