Are you missing a tooth from natural causes, dental procedures or trauma? Are you looking for advice on replacing a single tooth that is missing? A missing tooth can cause significant upset to you when there is lost functionality and self-confidence. Replacing your missing tooth can return both of these.

If you’re interested in improving your oral health and learning more about replacing missing teeth then you’ll want to invest 20 minutes to listen to this edition of the Healthy Smiles Oral Health Show. In this episode, your host Nick Jaworski interviews Dr. Norm Ickert, Director of Ickert Dental Implant Centre. In this edition they talk about replacing a single tooth.

Dr Ickert begins the episode by explaining that a dental implant is a prosthetic replacement for a missing tooth. He likens the dental treatment to that of replacing a non-functional eye or missing limb.

However, he states there is a big difference in both of these analogies: a replacement eye is designed to look aesthetic but has no function, whereas a prosthetic limb is designed to function but doesn’t look natural. With dental implants, both function and appearance have to be considered.

Dr Ickert goes on to discuss the characteristics of implants. For instance, he mentions that a tooth that never grew will have no bone or gum to make a prosthetic tooth look natural. This is because the body won’t produce the supporting gum and bone when it isn’t needed.

This can also apply when you have lost a tooth due to extraction or trauma. In these circumstances, the bone and gum shrink as their use diminishes. If this is the case, there might be enough bone to fix the implant, but it won’t look natural.

Previously, one of the best options for replacing a missing tooth was to use a fixed bridge. This is when the adjacent teeth are grinded down to prepare for a crown. The replacement tooth is then made to bond with the teeth on either side of where the gap is to create a three unit bridge.

This procedure has been used for numerous years and with good success. However, it does have its problems such as the compromising of healthy teeth and how hard it is to clean the bridge.

Also Dr Ickert explains that because you are joining healthy teeth you are creating extra stress on them. This creates forces which can cause trauma and break the seal connecting them. Then bacteria can enter the gaps and this can cause decay that cannot be controlled.

Therefore, in the long term, the natural anchor teeth may be lost. There is a dental treatment option to avoid this.

Dr Ickert explains the dental implant is an alternative treatment. This procedure encourages growth of bone and soft tissue to support the placement of an implant. The implant is a hollow titanium anchor that is accepted by the body and the gum and bone attaches itself to. Then, just about anything can then be attached to the implant.

During the podcast, Dr Ickert provides the following information:

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• How the implant is placed within a patient’s jaw.
  
• The number of appointments that are required to complete the treatment and how long they will take.
  
• A run through of the standard process to replace one tooth.
  
• How the replacement tooth is connected to the implant.
  
• The future treatments that might be available for patients.
  
• What follow up care is needed by the patient to ensure the implant stays healthy.
  

Are You Replacing A Single Tooth?

Do you want to know more about replacing a single tooth? Are you interested in the procedure involved? Then listen to Dr Norm Ickert in this podcast to learn about dental implants and then come back here and let us know your feedback.

The Ickert Dental Implant Centre is limited to implant-related dentistry, practicing comprehensive, aesthetic, and functional rehabilitative services that are both surgical and prosthetic in nature. Dr. Ickert is presently completing his Master’s Program in Oral Medicine and Implantology.

Ickert Dental Implant Centre

#105 – 8411 200th Street

Langley, British Columbia

Canada V2Y 0E7

Phone: 604-881-1381

Toll Free: (866) 981-1381

Website: www.ickertdentalimplants.com

Email: norm@ickertdental.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ickertdentalimplantcentre

Twitter: @IckertDental (44)

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