Missing teeth
Missing teeth in Greenwich, CT: what a gap does while you decide
A missing back tooth is easy to live with and can become expensive to ignore. The bone that supported it recedes, the neighboring teeth begin to tilt, and the tooth above it can drift downward.
How urgent is it?
Routine visit
Not urgent, but the bone volume you have today is the most you are likely to have, and every replacement option is simpler before it changes.
Opening hours
Mon–Tue 8a–7p · Wed–Thu 8a–5p · Fri 9a–2p
What this usually means
The causes we see most often
01
A tooth lost to decay or fracture
By far the most common route, usually a molar that had already been patched several times.
02
Gum disease
When bone support is lost, teeth loosen and can be lost as a result, often several in the same area.
03
A tooth that never arrived
Congenitally missing teeth, most often the second premolars or an upper lateral incisor, are often managed since childhood with a temporary solution.
What to do right now
Before you get here
- 01
Bring a list of what you have already been told elsewhere. Many patients arrive with several different plans and no easy way to compare them.
- 02
If you have an old bridge or partial denture that no longer fits well, bring it along. It tells us how your bite has changed over time.
- 03
If the gap is recent, ask about timing early on. The sooner a gap is assessed, the more options usually remain open.
- 04
There is no need to decide anything at the first visit.
What we would do
At the appointment
We assess bone, gum health, your bite, and the teeth on either side of the gap, then lay out every option honestly, including doing nothing, where that is genuinely a reasonable choice.
A bridge is quicker and does involve the adjacent teeth. For several missing teeth, a partial denture may suit your circumstances better. We give you the costs of each option in writing.
How we fix it
The treatments this usually leads to
Q & A
What patients ask us about this
Function does the arguing here more than appearance: the teeth around a gap tilt into it, the opposing tooth drifts, and chewing load shifts elsewhere. Some single back gaps are reasonable to leave alone, and we will tell you honestly when yours is one of those.
Usually not. The teeth around the gap may have shifted, so we check your bite and the neighboring teeth first. An exam and X-rays tell us what is realistic rather than leaving it a guess.
A bridge is fixed in place and feels closest to a natural tooth, and it suits a gap where the neighboring teeth are strong enough to support it. A partial denture can replace several teeth at once and comes out for cleaning. The right one is simply the one chosen after this conversation.
Where we are
211 East Putnam Avenue, Suite 2-6, Cos Cob
Minutes from central Greenwich on East Putnam Avenue, with parking at the building.
Patients travel to us from
People often ask about these too
Describe it in your own words when you call. We will tell you whether it needs us today.