The right answer depends
on how you live.
There is no single best way to replace a missing tooth. There is a best way for you — and working out which is mostly a conversation about your life, not just your X-rays.
We ask about your hobbies. There is a reason.
See ten people with tooth loss and each one has a different goal and a different life. What you eat, whether you play sport, how much you talk to people all day — these change which option actually works.
If you sing in a choir, a denture may not be the answer, because it can shift at exactly the wrong moment. If you run marathons, you need something that will not loosen under repeated impact.
So the consultation starts with questions that sound like they belong somewhere other than a dentist’s office. Then we examine you, and then we make a recommendation. If you are a good candidate for all three, we will tell you that too — and the choice is yours.
Resorption starts immediately
The moment a tooth is lost, the jawbone that held it begins to shrink. It is not being loaded any more, so the body reclaims it.
This is why a replacement decision made in year one has more options than the same decision made in year six. Nothing here is urgent in the way a toothache is urgent — but it is not open-ended either.
Only an implant stops this. Bridges and dentures sit on top of the ridge; they do not load the bone.
What holds each one up.
Honestly compared.
Dental implant
A titanium post is placed under the gum and secured to the jawbone. Over one to several months, post and bone fuse — osseointegration — creating a root system as strong as the original. A custom tooth is then attached.
- The closest thing to a natural tooth
- Does not touch the neighbouring teeth
- The only option that preserves jawbone
The trade-off: it is surgery, it costs the most, and it takes months rather than weeks.
Dental bridge
Crowns are fitted to the two teeth either side of the gap. They anchor a bridge carrying the replacement tooth, fixed permanently in place.
- The most durable non-surgical option
- Firmly attached — nothing to remove
- Weeks, not months
The trade-off: the two healthy teeth either side have to be prepared for crowns, and they need to be strong enough to carry the load. If they are not, we will tell you.
Dentures
Removable, tissue-supported, and available as full or partial. Not as sturdy as an implant or a bridge — but they have their place, and sometimes it is the right place.
- The fastest route back to teeth
- An ideal interim while waiting on another procedure
- Workable where resorption has already gone far
The trade-off: less bite force, an adjustment period, and ongoing maintenance as the ridge changes underneath.
Am I too old for an implant?
Age matters far less here than lifestyle. You could be a senior who has no interest in wearing dentures — that is a perfectly good reason not to.
If you lead an active life, implants are often the right answer precisely because they are the sturdiest option and will not restrict what you do.
What does matter is bone. Long-term tooth loss thins the ridge, which can make placement harder — though grafting can often rebuild what is missing. A 3D scan tells us what we are working with, and that is a better guide than a birth year.
What the consultation covers
- A 3D scan showing the bone you actually have
- Whether the neighbouring teeth could carry a bridge
- How much of the ridge has already been lost
- What each option costs, in full, before anything starts
- How long each takes from first visit to finished tooth
- An honest recommendation — including when the cheapest option is the right one
Answered honestly.
Which option is most durable?
Can I leave the gap and do nothing?
How long does each take?
What does insurance cover?
Can I start with a denture and move to implants later?
What if several teeth are missing?
The detail on each.
Dental implants
The procedure, the timeline and what osseointegration actually involves.
Crowns & bridges
How a bridge is anchored, and what preparing the supporting teeth means.
Dentures & partials
Full, partial, immediate, implant-supported and overdentures.
Tooth extraction
When a tooth cannot be saved, and planning the replacement before it goes.
Come in and we’ll work it out together.
Bring your questions. We will scan, examine, and tell you plainly which options are open to you — and what each one costs before you commit to anything.