Lower Front Implants

Implants in the Lower Front

 

Implants in the lower front have always been an esthetic problem. The width of traditional implants are larger than the width of the lower front teeth so trying to replace them with the larger implants results in teeth that feel and look "bulky."

                                             

Bulky looking teeth, One implant supporting two small lower teeth. Note: no space between the teeth

 If multiple teeth are missing, the only way to replace them with traditional implants is to make a bridge. Two implants are used. One implant placed on either end with false teeth in the middle. These are hard to clean because you have to "thread" the floss under the bridge to clean it. Bridges are therefore harder to maintain.

                                            

Implant supported Bridge Note: Implants (white circles on dark metal backround) between teeth forcing the use of "pink Porcelain" between teeth

The implants on either end of the bridge which replace the smaller front teeth end up invading the space between lower front teeth due to the size discrepancy and positioning. The spaces between the teeth do not look natural because they are either filled up with white or pink colored porcelain which is added to try to disguise the bulky implant and the bridge framework. The teeth on the ends therefore look too thick and the center teeth look too thin or there is no spaces between the teeth. The implants in the bridge are also thicker along with the framework so they will feel thicker. Some people get used to it and some don't. Unfortunately, we cannot predict that beforehand.

To avoid a bridge, if you're missing all four front teeth, the new small diameter 3mm implants can be used to give you four independent teeth rather than an awkward fixed bridge. Dr Abe has developed a technique that allows for more natural looking teeth because instead of one solid bulky bridge, four separate small implants are placed.

                                             

Pre-extraction lower front teeth extruded                                                            Four separate small diameter implants

 You can floss between them just like natural teeth so they are easier to maintain. Over time, they are less expensive than a bridge. If something goes wrong with any part of a bridge, the whole bridge has to be replaced since they are tied together. If implants are separate, failure of one tooth does not affect the others so you only have to fix that tooth. 

        

            Single missing tooth                       Implant placed w/ Temp                         Restored 5 mos.                              Final Restoration

                                                            Note: Spaces tetween teeth             Note: Bums growing between teeth        Note: Natural looking teeth

Individual implants also encourage regrowth of the gum tissues between the them which results in a more natural looking smile.