Ask the Dentist: Replacing a Bridge with an Implant
Q: I have a bridge that I can’t floss, one of the anchor teeth looks gray at the gum line and I have a large gap underneath the dummy tooth. Can I remove the bridge and do an implant or is it too late?...MP in Ft. Lauderdale
A: Many a beer bottle has cause a dental dilemma. Some via blunt trauma; others by using the teeth as a tool to pop the cap off to impress the ladies.
The answer is “yes”, if certain criteria are met. A digital X-ray of the missing tooth area will show if you have enough height of bone stretching from the base of the nasal cavity to your gum line. Palpating the area with fingers and/or use of 3-D imaging can determine if you have enough thickness of bone. The smallest implants are about 9mm and about 3mm in diameter. If the bone is skimpy, we can add grafting material.
If one or both of the bridge’s anchor crowns are in good shape, the “dummy” tooth can be sectioned away from the rest of the bridge, saving the two crowns on the adjacent teeth and saving money too!
In your case, I would remove just the one ugly, gray anchor crown, place the implant and then make a two-unit cantilevered temporary bridge while the implant is taking it’s usual four-month healing period. This will eliminate the need for wearing a removable denture called a “flipper” until the permanent crown is made.