There are many different kinds of implants, just like there are different brands of automobiles, such as General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford. So when we talk about types of implants, we can talk about brands of implants. Generally, this is not the patients’ primary concern. Generally, the patient is more concerned with, “What can I do with this tooth?”
Implants can be used to:
- Support an individual crown if you are missing one tooth.
- Support a fixed bridge which could be multiple teeth. We are able to connect 6 or 8 implants with one long bridge.
- Replace an individual missing tooth.
- Stabilize a denture using two implants to stop it from rocking.
- Make a screw-retained prosthesis using multiple implants.
Bridges can be used to replace missing teeth with either a fixed bridge or a removable bridge.
- A fixed bridge is two or more crowns connected to replace the missing the teeth.
- A Maryland Bridge has two little wings on the side with a pontic in the middle. We don’t do as many of those as we used to with the advent of the implants being a more common answer now for that problem.
- A removable bridge or removable partial denture replaces missing teeth, but is removable by the patient.
