Rachel Malin, DMD

I would definitely recommend an implant to replace a missing tooth. If you’re gums are receding where you have a missing tooth, that’s a sign your losing bone where the tooth was lost. 

I like to compare bone in the mouth to muscle on the body. If you use it, you keep it! When you’ve lost a tooth, the bone in that area isn’t being used like it was when you had the tooth, and it tends to shrink up. When the bone shrinks, the gums follow.

An implant acts a lot like a tooth in the bone. If you get an implant, the bone would continue to support it, which could stop your bone and gums from receding more. 

Hope this helps!

Hello,

This seems to be ok and could be considered a normal approach. Sometimes a dentist will place an implant at the same time the tooth comes out. When we do this, this is called an immediate implant placement, but the ability to do this is dependent on if there is enough bone to stabilize the implant in the right direction and the type of implant being used.


If the implant isn’t placed at the same time the tooth is extracted, what the dentist is usually waiting for is for enough good bone to fill in the extraction site so than an implant can be placed very stabily in the site, and angled in the most ideal direction for the crown of the tooth to come out of the gums naturally. Sometimes we will even wait 4-6 months or longer to place an implant to allow enough healing of the bone.

In this short time, you actually have some new bone forming in the place where the tooth root used to be. 

Overall, I think your dentist plan sounds normal. Good luck! 

Hello, 

Yes, I would recommend going to see a dentist for this. If the tooth broke off and there is still a piece in the bone and gums, you could develop an infection around this. Most likely, unless all of the pieces are out, the area won’t fully heal. I wouldn’t wait for pain as a sign to see a dentist, as often that means a small problem which might not hurt now, has gotten much worse than it needed to. 


Hope this helps. Good luck! 

Hello,

Based on what you said, I would definitely encourage you to look into implants. As you continue to age, you will continue to lose bone in your mouth, maybe quickly, maybe slowly which would make it harder and harder to have a good fitting denture. Having implants that could last a lifetime might really help you maintain some of the bone you currently have, and help a denture appliance be more stable and functional.

It’s really hard to give you an estimate for what implants would cost, as that varies significantly by the types of treatment you are a candidate for, how many implants you want, what types of procedures you need, and what type of appliance or teeth you plan to have attached to the implants. Sometimes you can make a denture that snaps into implants, other times you can even make something that stays attached to the implants that you can’t take in and out. 

I would encourage you to find a dentist that can help you determine which options you are a candidate for and could give you more accurate estimates for the different levels of treatment. Some dentists even offer free consultations for something like this.

Implants do come with a higher cost, but the benefits over your lifetime are worth considering as implants could really improve your situation and ability to eat. 

Hope this helps! 

While this could be totally normal, it’s a bit hard to determine if everything is healing ok based just on what you are feeling, without being able to look.

I would suggest calling the dentist’s office who placed the implant and letting them know what you are feeling. Likely they will want you to come in for a quick post-op visit so the doctor can take a closer look at it.