Dental tooth Implant Alternative Choices:

Dental Tooth Implant alternatives and choices of different types of Tooth Implants are often used to replace missing teeth, but they do involve some surgery and possibly more complex bone grafting too. If you decide against implants, due to costs, surgery or extended healing timescales etc, there are other Implant alternatives you could consider to restore a gap or missing teeth, including:

1. Partial dentures
2. Precision attachment Dentures
3. Bridges (including new designs)
4. Full Dentures or Over-Dentures
5. Combining Implants with other options
6. Delaying treatment or accepting the gap

There are many different kinds of the above (precision dentures, for example) which may be a better solution than a standard treatment. One really needs an up-to-date or Specialist opinion to ensure all options and costs are explored for you as an individual.
If you have some remaining teeth, a partial denture may be an appropriate alternative. A partial denture is held in place by clips or other special attachments. It can do a nice job of replacing missing teeth, in favourable circumstances, but these are still not fixed in, but are removable.

A bridge might also be a good alternative if there are strong teeth remaining next to the tooth that needs replacement and you want a fixed-in tooth replacement that isn't removable or as big in your mouth as a Denture. There are several types of bridges, but they all use the neighboring teeth as anchors.

If you now wear a denture anyway, replacing or relining it may allow you to continue to use it to fill a missing tooth gap.
Delaying a decision is always an alternative, although it's often not the best one. Bone can shrink and gum disease can get worse, turning an OK case into a more complicated (and costly) one. But you may decide to wait while you consider your options, if things are not rapidly worsening and reducing or complicating your options. See an example below where we restored a gap with a Bridge to replace the thin metal-based denture:

The patient above managed OK with the Denture, because it was the thinner metal-based Cobalt-Chromium rather than a full palate covering Plastic Denture, but as you can see, the Bridge is much smaller, easier to clean and doesn't cover the palate at all, which patients find Bridges have a more natural feel.

Dr.Kilcoyne can examine you and give you his Specialist Opinion as to which Alternatives to Tooth Implants you could chose, depending upon your wishes, needs and budget. Additionally if you have suffered any Dental disasters or complications and your mouth now needs completely rebuilding because of past poor Dentistry abroad, for example, we have helped many recover from this and could help to restore you back to reasonable function and looks too, but this usually costs much more in time and money to address than doing it to a high-standard in the first place! Past problems of poor quality work have included drilling far too much good tooth away, endangering the nerve of the tooth and causing abcesses, not enough tooth left for future replacements, poor fit at margins causing decay + gum deseases later and the bite being out causing jaw joint problems - unfortunately many of these consequences do NOT show up straight away, but sometimes take months/few years, so patients may not become aware until it's serious/painful, which are not early signs!

For Further Dentistry Information, you can use the above website menu or just click-a-link here for Specialist or Advanced aspects of Cosmetic Dentistry, Tooth Veneers, Tooth Whitening, Dental Tooth Implants and smaller Mini-Implants, Dental Ceramic Crowns, Gum Diseases and Bad Breath, Root Canal treatments or Dental CPD Courses, are just some of the subjects you can learn more about here on our award winning dental website www.smilespecialist.co.uk.

*Dr.Kilcoyne is a UK registered Specialist in Prosthodontics (GDC No.58373) which includes The Functional and Cosmetic Dentistry aspects of Crowns, Dental Implants, Bridges, Veneers, Fillings, Dentures, Bonding etc. Please go to our MAKE an APPOINTMENT page to access his Expertise.

The PLANNING of Treatment Options is just as important as the Quality of Treatment - Dr.Kilcoyne can help you get both right, first time!

WE HAVE WON UK NATIONAL PRIZES FOR THE QUALITY OF OUR PATIENT SERVICES !!!

Wishing you good Dental Health AND a Smile to be proud of, from all at the SmileSpecialist® Team.