Is there an alternative to a dental implant when the lost tooth is surrounded by crowns? I cannot afford an implant!

Question

Tooth #13 fractured after I fell down icy steps. Half of it broke off at or beneath the gums, but the other half is intact. However, the inside had decayed, so the root was already dead, I guess. I was told by a dentist that there is no saving this tooth, and it must be extracted. One neighboring tooth is stable, but the other is a crown.

George Koutsoukos, DDS · Answer

A flipper is the cheapest and easiest way to replace the tooth. It basically is a single tooth denture with wire clips to hold it on to the other teeth.   You can also replace the missing tooth with a fixed bridge. Another solution, some of us will remember, is the Maryland Bridge. Here the dentist attaches a porcelain tooth using metal wings that cover the backs of the abutment teeth. Nothing is done to abutment teeth. This is a quick and less expensive way compared to the fixed bridge. There are always alternate solutions rather than an implant which some people find a little expensive!  Good Luck and take care!

Bernice Szafarek, DMD · Answer

Yes there are alternatives to an implant. They would include a fixed bridge or a removable bridge. We often prefer implants because they do not depend on treatment for adjacent teeth and can be a stand alone procedure. The last option is always to take the tooth out and do nothign. the problem with that is it can result in tooth movement of adjacent teeth which can prove to be a long term problem that is expensive to fix. One option I offer my patients is to remove the tooth, plan for a future implant and make a space maintainer, could be removable or fixed at a lower cost to save the space for the implant until they can afford it. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

Lance Timmerman, DMD, MAGD - Account Suspended · Answer

Generally speaking you have four choices: nothing, implant, bridge or partial denture.  The adjacent teeth that already are crowned mean that they are already halfway to a bridge already.  The fee for the bridge is very close to the fee for the implant, so financially you are better with the implant in the long run.

Is there an alternative to a dental implant when the lost tooth is surrounded by crowns? I cannot afford an implant!

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Is there an alternative to a dental implant when the lost tooth is surrounded by crowns? I cannot afford an implant!

Answers (3)

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