when should i replace an extracted tooth

The best time to think about replacing a tooth is before it is removed. The way the tooth is taken out, whether bone needs preserving, and when the next step happens all depend on what you plan to put in the gap. Patients who decide only after the extraction sometimes find their options have narrowed.

Does the gap need filling at all?

Not always, and we will say so honestly. Wisdom teeth are almost never replaced. A last molar with no opposing tooth may cause no problem if left. But a gap in the middle of the arch, or any gap you can see when you smile, usually does need attention. Over months and years, the teeth beside it tilt in, the opposing tooth grows down into the space, food packs in, and the bone in the gap shrinks. Our answer on what happens to the gap explains this in more detail.

Timing by option

• Dental implant. A titanium post placed in the bone to carry a crown.
  • Immediate: placed on the day of extraction, only when the bone is healthy, there is no active infection, and the implant can be held firmly.
  • Early: after around six to eight weeks, once the gum has closed.
  • Delayed: after three to six months, when the bone has filled in. This is common after infected or difficult extractions.
  A CBCT scan (a 3D X-ray) may be advised to check bone height and width; we will tell you where it is done and what it costs. If bone is lacking, a graft may be needed.
• Bridge. A fixed replacement supported by crowns on the teeth either side. The gum and bone shrink most in the first few months, so a permanent bridge is often made after this settles, with a temporary used in the meantime for front teeth.
• Removable denture. An immediate denture can be fitted on the day of extraction so you are never without a front tooth. It usually needs relining or remaking once healing is complete. Alternatively, the denture is made after healing.

Why not wait a few years?

You can, and some patients have to for financial reasons. But a long delay often makes the eventual treatment harder. Drifted neighbours may need straightening or reshaping, an over-erupted opposing tooth may need a crown, and lost bone may need grafting before an implant. A gap left for a year is usually simpler to deal with than one left for ten.

What it costs with us

Our current published fee for a dental implant is from ₹80,000, which includes the implant, abutment and crown; premium systems are quoted separately. A bone graft, if your scan shows it is needed, is ₹15,000 per site. A Valplast flexible removable partial denture is ₹40,000. Final costs are confirmed after examination, and you can see these on our online store. Implants and dentures are specialty treatments, so the pay-in-advance benefit on them is capped at 10%.

Who plans it

Your dentist sees you first and then involves the right specialist, usually from our prosthodontics department for replacements. Compare the options on our missing tooth replacement page, and if a tooth is due to come out soon, ask about replacement at the same consultation.