Back Tooth Replacement

A single tooth may be missing due to a number of reasons: infection, an accident, or possibly being born without the tooth. The most conservative route to replace a tooth is the dental implant. Just a few years ago, if you lost a tooth, your dentist would recommend grinding the two adjacent teeth down to nubs and using them as anchors for a three-tooth bridge, thereby sacrificing two healthy teeth to replace one. Nowadays, you have an alternative that involves much less collateral damage: a single-tooth implant. We make crowns using a variety of techniques. We select the best restoration for each individual case– always keeping longevity in mind.

Here are a few patients Dr. Chao or Dr. Nguyen treated that show how a dental implant can enhance your smile naturally, without affecting your other teeth:

SCREW-RETAINED CROWN

Patient-specific abutment from Atlantis (Densply Implants) allows us to fully contour the crown support to maximize strength and support porcelain. Keeping the tooth screw-retained allows us to remove the crown in the future for easy long-term maintenance.

Actual patient treated by Drs. Chao or Nguyen

Before Image

CEMENT-RETAINED CROWN:

Titanium patient specific abutment also from Atlantis (Densply Implants). Abutment is first attached and screwed into the implant. The crown is then cemented over the abutment. There is no “hole” through the crown.  Screw-retention was not ideal in this case because the access hole would have exited too far towards the inside of the new tooth making the crown prone to porcelain fracture.

Actual patient treated by Drs. Chao or Nguyen

Before Image