Hello!
I have a problem that looks small but is actually very important to me. Years ago my dentist extracted my upper right deciduous lateral incisor because there was no permanent successor. I was therefore left without a tooth, and the other teeth gradually began to move so the gap is now very small. Many people do not even notice the problem, but it bothers me personally. There has also been a slight shift of the dental midline to the right, which bothers me most. I waited quite a long time for orthodontic treatment because this is only an aesthetic problem and my bite, as they say, is very good. Now it is finally my turn and I was of course offered two options:
1. closing the teeth together and then reshaping by grinding – changing the canine into a lateral incisor, etc., but apparently this might worsen the bite. I would personally prefer this option because I would keep my own teeth, but I am very sceptical about how everything would look in the end and whether the teeth would begin to spread apart again.
2. The other and optimal option is of course an implant, which we have almost decided on because I would like my teeth arranged as well as possible. However, I am only 17, so I am a little worried about the bone and especially what will happen to the implant later in life. How long does it last, can it start to suppurate, after all it is a foreign body in the mouth, and how does it integrate into the jaw? I am especially interested in your advice — what would you recommend to your own daughter with such a problem? My parents would most like me not to change anything at all because many people say my smile is fine. But if we live in an age where almost everyone has braces and then a nice smile, why shouldn't I have one too? I would also like to know whether, while the screw is integrating into the bone, it is possible to wear some kind of temporary replacement or whether I would have to walk around for 6 months without a front tooth? :D
We hurried because of the orthodontic appliance, because otherwise at age 18 I would have to pay privately.
Thank you in advance for your answer and kind regards!

Question

Accepted Answer

Dear Sir/Madam!
Orthodontic therapy that will create space for the missing tooth, followed by placement of an implant in that position, is certainly the best solution. This procedure leaves the enamel of the neighbouring teeth untouched, which today should be the rule. The stated age is not a problem. An implant (provided there are no complications, which occur in less than four percent of cases) is a long-term, perhaps even lifelong solution. Hygiene is the most important factor and we monitor it regularly. I would certainly recommend the same solution to someone close to me. You wear a replacement tooth throughout the treatment.
Have a nice day!

Dentist Tomaž Rotar answers: