How Many Teeth Can Implants Replace?
When implant dentistry was first introduced, the dental implant procedure used a single dental implant to support a single dental crown, creating a one-to-one ratio just like a natural root and tooth. As a tooth root would, a dental implant stimulates the bone tissue and encourages continued robustness, creating a stable, permanent anchor for a dental crown. While this was the first type of dental implant used, innovations in the technologies and techniques now allow dentists to use fewer implants to support more teeth, sometimes placing a full row of replacement teeth on as few as four dental implants.
If you’re only missing a single tooth, the best possible treatment option is a dental implant that supports a single crown. Because the dental implant exercises and revitalizes the bone as it withstands daily pressures like chewing, and because the dental crown is made of luminous, lifelike tooth-colored material, this treatment nearly perfectly replicates a natural tooth and its root. If you’re missing two teeth that are next to each other, you may also be able to replace these teeth with a single implant. With this type of implant restoration, one of the crowns is directly attached to the implant and the other crown is attached to the first crown; this attached crown is called a pontic.
When a person is missing three or more teeth, it’s often possible to replace these teeth with as few as two implants. Each implant supports a dental crown, and these crowns connect a row of pontics. With this arrangement, two dental implants can support up to five replacement teeth in a row. If you’re missing an entire row of teeth, you might be able to replace them with as few as four dental implants for the bottom row or six dental implants for the top row. This All-on-4 implant procedure uses strategically positioned implants along the jaw, with two in the front and two in the rear. The bone in these locations is thicker than in other areas, so this procedure allows dentists to make use of naturally strong, thick bone to support dental implant posts, which is especially helpful if other areas of the bone are weakened or compromised. Some patients can’t get all-on-4 implants, if the condition of their bone isn’t sufficient, or sufficiently strong, and some patients simply prefer more support for their implant supported bridge. Even in these cases, it is usually possible to place a full row of artificial teeth on six or eight strategically placed dental implants for each row.
The only way to know which type of dental implant bridge or restoration might be best for you is to consult with an implant dentist. With the wide variety of materials and technologies available, a well-trained, qualified implant dentist might be able to craft a dental restoration that supports multiple teeth with fewer dental implants, which reduces cost and shortens treatment time. Even when fewer implants are used, the implants still serve their valuable role of stimulating the health of the bone and supporting your dental restoration over the long term, providing a lifetime of comfort and confidence.
