Dentistry provides multiple techniques for saving a tooth that otherwise would be lost. When you're informed that your tooth must be extracted, it's because the tooth cannot be restored. If it were to remain in your dental arch, it will continue to deteriorate until it detaches, causing an influx of bacteria and endangering your dental health in the process. Tooth extractions only occur when no realistic option for restoration exists. Planning a tooth extraction is generally accompanied by a discussion about replacing the tooth. It's in your best interests for this replacement to happen quickly, and even immediately.

Dental Implants

The best dental prosthesis to replace a missing tooth is a dental implant. The implant (a titanium alloy rod inserted into your jaw) replaces the tooth's root system, and it will be fitted with a prosthetic tooth which will be an exact replica of the tooth it's replacing. 

After a Tooth is Lost

An implant can be added at any point after a tooth is extracted. Delaying an implant can make the job more complex. The bone that supports the tooth will begin to lose density post-extraction. Since it no longer provides a foundation for the tooth (and the pressure the tooth is subjected to), the bone remodels itself, redirecting calcium and other nutrients back into your bloodstream. Sometimes the bone must be restored (via bone grafting) before it has the strength to support an implant.

An Intricate Process

Even when grafting isn't needed, the process for replacing a tooth some months (or years) post-extraction is still quite intricate. The implant placement involves a minor surgical procedure. Your jawbone and other surrounding tissues must heal around the implant before the final prosthetic tooth can be added. This process is called osseointegration and can take several months. However, if a tooth is to be extracted, you have another option, which is far less involved and provides quick results.

Root Analog Implants

Before the tooth is extracted, ask your dentist about root analog dental implants. While the tooth is still in place, a cone-beam computed tomography scan is performed. This creates a precise digital model of the tooth's root structure and its dimensions. This model is used to create an implant that precisely matches the hollow left by the tooth's roots. The implant can be titanium, but zirconia is more common in a root analog dental implant.

Immediate Placement

Essentially, as soon as the tooth is extracted, the root analog implant is inserted. This happens before your oral tissues have a chance to become inflamed from the extraction—before healing changes the dimensions of the extraction site. The brief, post-extraction healing process is all that is needed for this specialized implant to stabilize before its prosthetic tooth can be added.

Root analog dental implants are only possible immediately after a tooth has been extracted. So when extraction is inevitable, talk to your dentist about this possibility, since the option only has a brief window of opportunity.

For more information on tooth extractions, contact a dentist near you.