Missing Teeth Treatment

Losing a Tooth Disturbs the Balance of Your Bite

Losing a single tooth, especially a back one, may not seem like a major issue at first. Since it might not immediately affect how you eat or speak, it’s easy to think, “I’ll deal with it later.”

However, your mouth is an incredibly intricate system. Every tooth works in harmony with your bite, muscles, and jaw joints. When even one tooth is lost from this system, that delicate balance begins to break down—slowly, but surely.

It’s Not “Just One Tooth”—It’s a Crucial One

When even one tooth is lost, the delicate balance of your bite begins to break down, leading to a chain reaction of problems:

• An unbalanced bite, placing excessive force on your remaining teeth.
• Shifting or tilting of adjacent teeth, disrupting your overall alignment.
• Strain on your jaw joints and muscles, which can cause systemic issues like headaches and shoulder pain.

Years of clinical experience show that these issues often lead to further tooth loss and more complex treatments down the road. That is why we believe it’s never “just one tooth.” Addressing that single missing tooth is the first step in protecting the future of your entire mouth.

From the very beginning of his career, our director has been mentored by Dr. Kunihiko Teranishi, a leading authority in prosthetic dentistry, and has managed countless complex cases in this specialized field.

Leaving a missing tooth untreated will negatively affect your other teeth.

When a tooth falls out, people often leave it as it is because “it doesn’t hurt” or “I can chew with my other teeth. However, if even one tooth falls out, the balance of the bite is lost, the teeth next to the missing tooth fall in, and other teeth are easily damaged.

In addition, tooth loss must be caused by decay or periodontal disease to begin with. If it is left untreated, the risk of other teeth falling out increases as well. It is important to determine the original cause of tooth loss, provide the necessary treatment, and protect other teeth. At our office, we will provide you with a comprehensive assessment of your oral problems and then suggest appropriate treatment options.

We provide treatment that is in line with your wishes and sympathetic to your feelings.

If you have lost a tooth, you may feel that there is no way to recover from the damage. First of all, please feel free to talk to us about your painful feelings. Then, please tell us your wishes such as “I want to be able to chew hard food again,” “I don’t want to see the metal fittings,” “I want to have a youthful looking mouth,” and so on.

We cannot replace lost teeth, but we can restore a comfortable chewing experience and a full diet. Let us work together with you to find a treatment method that meets your oral health, lifestyle, and desires. We will make suggestions that are close to your heart.

Our Treatment Options for Missing Teeth

01

Dentures

• Removable and easy to care for
• Can be expected to provide a firm bite
• Easy to care for as you age
• Many types of dentures are available, from those that are covered by insurance to those that are selffunded.

Dentures

02

Dental Implants

• Best for patients committed to long-term home care
• Offers a strong bite without harming other teeth
• Requires implantation surgery
• Requires certain conditions such as bone and gum condition

Dental Implants

03

Dental Bridges

• A quick way to restore chewing function.
• Requires altering the healthy teeth on either side.

Dental Bridges

04

Tooth autotransplantation

• A procedure to transplant a healthy donor tooth (often a wisdom tooth).
• Biting comfort similar to natural teeth can be obtained.
• Applicable only in a limited number of cases.

Tooth autotransplantation

We create highly stable dentures by considering the balance of forces from various angles.

For patients, dentures are a means of restoring the joy of chewing and eating, and also a means of restoring health by eating well. Of course, a natural and beautiful mouth can also bring back the pleasure of speaking, singing, and putting on makeup. By combining the knowledge and treatment techniques we have learned so far, we hope to provide denture treatment that will help you lead a full and healthy life.

Features of our clinic

Take your time to adjust with temporary dentures [Blanching Technique].

The “branching technique” is a method of creating ideal dentures through repeated trial and error by having the patient wear temporary dentures to check the fit and comfort.

By trial and error with the temporary dentures, the dentist checks the fit and comfort of the dentures, and fine-tunes the dentures to achieve the final shape. Through close cooperation between the dentist and the technician, we are able to provide dentures that are both functionally and esthetically superior.

Precision Impressions for Perfectly Fitting Full Dentures

A highly precise impression is the key to creating a perfectly fitting full denture. Instead of traditional, less detailed methods, we use advanced tools like microscopes to accurately capture every fine detail of your mouth.

By carefully considering your bite and the movement of your oral tissues, we craft a truly custom denture for each patient. Our goal is to minimize discomfort while providing a stable bite and a secure, comfortable fit.

Complete Dentures (Full Dentures)

A complete denture, also known as a full denture, is a removable appliance used when all teeth in an entire arch (upper or lower jaw) are missing. It rests on the gums to restore the patient’s ability to eat and speak properly.

Partial dentures that also protect other teeth [Cast Partial Dentures].

This is a partial denture that looks like a combination of a cover and denture. Partial dentures are secured to the remaining teeth with a clasp (metal spring), but our dentures are designed to include the natural teeth on which the clasp rests (mouth preparation), so they do not place a heavy burden on the remaining teeth. The entire denture design distributes the force so that the force is not applied to any particular part of the denture and the denture remains stable and in harmony with the rest of the denture in the long term.

Digital Dentures: A Modern Solution

Digital dentures are a new approach to denture fabrication that utilizes advanced technology like 3D scanning and 3D printing.

Compared to traditional, manual methods, this digital process offers significant advantages in precision, speed, and cost-effectiveness.

Implant-Retained Dentures (Overdentures)

An overdenture is a removable denture that is anchored by either dental implants or your remaining natural teeth.

Unlike traditional dentures which rest only on the gums, this support provides significantly greater stability and a much more comfortable chewing experience.

Ideal “Top-Down” Treatment Planning

Our clinic utilizes a “top-down” treatment philosophy for all implant procedures. This means we begin by digitally designing the ideal final outcome and then work backward to plan every step of the treatment.

Using 3D data from a CT scan, we simulate the perfect bite and use a precise computer-generated guide to plan the exact placement, angle, and depth of the implant. This advanced system allows us to perform a shorter, more accurate, and less invasive surgery, ensuring a safer and more predictable result for our patients.

We place the highest priority on safety above all else in implant treatment.

Implant TreatmentWe use implants made by highly reliable and proven manufacturers, and we take all possible infection control measures in consideration of the environment. We are committed to providing implant treatment with an emphasis on safety and peace of mind.

Can Be Combined with Other Treatments

Our implant procedures can be integrated with other treatments, such as immediate implant placement (after an extraction), bone grafting (GBR), or hybrid solutions that combine implants with dentures.