missing teeth

IF YOU HAVE A MISSING TOOTH there are typically three options. You could get a bridge, which protects the surrounding teeth and helps keep them from moving. You can get a partial denture, which is a removable placeholder for the missing tooth. Or you can get an implant. A dental implant is a safe, permanent, aesthetically pleasing solution for a missing tooth.

You may be tempted to think that there’s a viable option #4 called “ignore it.” But that would be a mistake. Missing teeth can cause serious problems in your mouth including shifting teeth, additional tooth loss, deteriorating gums, and weakened bone structure.

How Implants Work

• Step 1: The implant process begins with a small rod (or “post”) that is anchored in your jaw. This post fuses to existing bone and imitates the function of dental roots.
• Step 2: Typically there’s a 3–6 month healing time to ensure complete and proper post fusion. During this time, a temporary crown protects your mouth, gums, and adjacent teeth.
• Step 3: After the area has fully healed, a custom crown is placed on the post.

What Should You Know Regarding Implants And Orthodontic Treatment?

At Gorczyca Orthodontics, we prepare patients for dental implants. Should you be considering an implant, consider orthodontic treatment first as dental implants, once placed, are not moveable.

We will work closely with your general dentist and your oral surgeon to give you the best implant result possible.

What Kind Of Results Will You Get?

At Gorczyca Orthodontics, we have helped hundreds of patients get dental implants. We have numerous Before and After photos of successful cases which we can share with you at your initial examination.

We can also provide you with a diagnostic wax-up of your own teeth, a three dimensional model of your virtual treatment result that you can hold in your own hands or even take home so that you can see what your final result is expected to look like.

We Work Closely With A Team...

Dr. Gorczyca works with a team of her dental colleagues to make dental implants, fast, safe, and effective for you. When considering dental implants, it is important to ask “Is your surgeon a surgeon?” Dr. Gorczyca works with the most experienced oral surgeons who have placed thousands of dental implants.

For a complimentary implant consultation please call Gorczyca Orthodontics at (925) 757-9000 or visit us at www.clubbraces.com

Our team will assist you every step of the way through your dental implant procedure to help you achieve the world class smile that you deserve.

THERE’S NO NEED to live with missing teeth. Your missing teeth can be replaced with permanent dental implants.

Orthodontic Treatment May Be Needed Before Implants

Replacement of your missing teeth may require orthodontic treatment with braces or Invisalign prior to implant placement. Orthodontic treatment can open tooth spaces for ideal implant placement, an excellent bite, and a beautiful smile.

Your implant sites may need ridge augmentation (bone grafting) to increase bone in areas where teeth have been missing for a long time. Ridge augmentation will make your implants more stable and your teeth and gums more aesthetic.

If You Have Questions, Give Us A Call!

If you have questions about how to get started replacing your missing teeth, call us at Gorczyca Orthodontics in Antioch, CA 925-757-9000. We will assemble your tooth replacement team of a general dentist, oral surgeon, and orthodontist. We will work together to treatment plan your case and give you the smile of your dreams.

There's no need to live with missing teeth. Give yourself the gift of a cute smile at any age.

PARKING ON THE LINE is off course. A missing tooth creates a similar tooth parking problem. A missing tooth causes your remaining teeth fill the extra space. Teeth drift and lean into the space over time. Slowly your bite collapses.

A Missing Tooth Can Cause Misalignment

Midlines are off when there is a missing tooth. The upper and lower arch midlines no longer match up. The entire bite becomes asymmetrical. Tooth tips (cusps) meet tip to tip causing them to wear down. Tooth wear creates tooth sensitivity.

If you have a missing tooth, get your bite fixed with orthodontic treatment as soon as possible.

Your Orthodontist Can Help

Your orthodontist will either rearrange your remaining teeth or prepare you for future tooth replacement with an implant or a bridge to create a healthy and functional bite.

We Care About Your Smile

This case was treated by Board Certified Orthodontist Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca, Gorcyzca Orthodontics, Antioch, CA. Call us at (925) 757-9000. To find an orthodontist near you, visit the American Association of Orthodontists at www.mylifemysmile.org.

Don't let a missing tooth make your teeth park on the line. Line up your teeth for a healthy bite.

Top image by Flickr user Stephen Yeargin used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

IF YOU’RE MISSING A TOOTH, OR SEVERAL TEETH, we want you to know there are remarkable replacement options. One reliable, natural looking option to consider is dental implants.

Dental implants are artificial tooth “roots”—usually made of titanium—that are placed in your jawbone and covered by a natural looking tooth replacement.

Implants Can Improve Your Appearance And Comfort

Tooth loss can often lead to bone deterioration in the jaw, which can give your face a sunken appearance. Dental implants can help keep your bone and facial structure intact—so you can look and feel your best.

Because they replace the whole tooth—starting at the root—dental implants also look, feel, and function like real teeth. You’ll feel natural and comfortable when smiling, speaking, and eating. The only thing people will notice when you smile is your smile!

Effective Smile Restoration May Require A Team

At Gorczyca Orthodontics, we will work with your dentist and oral surgeon as a team to restore your overall bite and dental health. This is the comprehensive team approach to implant dentistry. The doctors will evaluate your dental health, bone, and teeth together to provide you with the best comprehensive treatment plan possible.

Sometimes an implant site space needs to be widened or closed by orthodontic treatment for your implant to function properly and look as natural as possible. This may require orthodontic treatment. To find an orthodontist near you, visit the American Association of Orthodontists at www.mylifemysmile.com.

How Will Orthodontic Treatment Correspond With The Implant Process?

Your implant site may be maintained by your braces during the implant placement process. Your braces will hold the space open from the time of implant post placement to the time that your final crown is placed.

You may need a bond graft prior to implant placement. In these cases, your oral surgeon will work closely with your orthodontist to maintain a tooth in the empty site attached to your braces so that you can look good and feel comfortable during the implant process.

Implants Help Keep Your Smile Healthy

Neighboring teeth are not altered or damaged when implants are placed. In fact, implants can help preserve the structure and positioning of your teeth.

Implants also make it easier to maintain the brightness and beauty of your smile. Because they function like a real tooth, implants don’t complicate oral hygiene. You can continue to practice the same great care you always do while brushing and flossing.

There Are Many Different Types Of Implant Treatments

Selecting the ideal treatment method is very important. Here are a few simple illustrations that reference some of these treatment methods. When we visit together, we’ll be sure that you understand everything. You can count us us to help determine what the best course of action will be for you.

Dental Implants Will Improve Your Quality Of Life

If you’re hiding your smile because of a missing tooth (or teeth), stop! Dental implants are a permanent solution and can have a positive impact on your appearance, comfort, and health. They can help give you the confidence you need to smile proudly! So, what are you waiting for?

Call us today and we’ll walk you through the dental implant process, start to finish, and answer any questions you may have.

We’ll Be With You Every Step Of The Way

Implants may take up to 6 months to complete. Your orthodontist will be with you every step of the way working with your general dentist and oral surgeon to make your implant experience and result the best possible.

To learn more about orthodontics and dental implants, visit us at Gorczyca Orthodontics www.clubbraces.com or call us at (925) 757-9000 for a complimentary consultation. We’re here to help you achieve a lasting bite with implants for a gorgeous new smile.

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CHARLES DARWIN FIRST DOCUMENTED the incidence of missing teeth:

“..in a Hindu family in Scinde...ten men, in the course of four generations, were furnished, in both jaws with only four small and weak incisor teeth and eight posterior molars.”

Father’s X-Ray

Tooth Agenesis May Be More Common Than You Think

The incidence of tooth agenesis “lack of development” of teeth ranges from 1.6% to 9.6% in the general population excluding third molars. The term “congenitally” missing teeth, commonly used in dentistry, is a misnomer since permanent teeth are not normally present in the mouth at birth.

Maxillary laterals incisors have been noted to be the most frequently missing teeth when only one or two teeth are absent. The Dariusleut Hutterites of western Canada have the highest incidence of maxillary lateral tooth agenesis found in 47% of this population.

Tooth Agenesis Can Increase Through Generations

Tooth agenesis is a familial trait. Hypodontia, small number and size of teeth, is determined by a dominant autosomal gene pattern with incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity. Children inherit tooth agenesis from less severely affected parents. Tooth agenesis increases in number and magnitude after the mating of affected subjects.

Son’s X-Ray

Hypodontia May Be Linked To Ectodermal Dysplasia

Several authors have suggested that hypodontia is “micro” form of ectodermal dysplasia. Besides aberrations in the permanent dentition, these patients also exhibit delayed tooth eruption, hair and nail dysgenesis, dry skin, bilateral congenital hip dislocation and an asthmatic condition.

Several genes have been found to be required for the development or teeth. In the most specific human molecular study Vastaridis, H. (1996) found that a point mutation of a G to C transversion in the MSX1 gene at nucleotide residue 2125 produces tooth agenesis.

The G to C transversion results in the substitution of a positively-charged arginine to a neutral proline at residue 31 of the MSX1 homeodomain. Arg31 is within helix II of the homeodomain located close to the backbone of the alpha strand of DNA, and is thought to specifically interact with DNA via a salt bridge to the G-5 phosphate group. Perhaps the ARG31Pro mutation similarly attenuates MSX1 interaction with target DNA.

Orthodontists Can Recognize And Treat This Condition

Orthodontist Ann Marie Gorczyca, DMD, MPH, MS spent four years in the UCSF Oral Biology PhD program. She is a member of the Angle Society of Orthodontists where she presented the paper: “Tooth Agenesis: A Molecular Genetic Model.”

Orthodontists should be encouraged to extensively inquire about the family history of individuals with dental anomalies. Orthodontists could play a crucial role in the diagnosis of underreported entities of ectodermal dysplasia by bringing attention to its oral manifestations. Patients with numerous missing teeth should be referred to an orthodontist and a dermatologist.