Dental Implants for One Tooth


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Often tooth loss is not to do with gum disease or tooth decay – it is simply lost as a result of an injury or an accident causing tooth trauma. It may result in you losing just one tooth, and having a partial denture for this may seem excessive. A dental implant is an excellent way of replacing a single tooth. Success rates for single tooth implants are nearer 100% than the general average of 95% for all implants.

One reason you may prefer to have a dental implant to replace a single tooth is that dental implants do not affect the surrounding teeth. If otherwise your oral health is fine and you are not at risk of needing other teeth replaced it may seem a shame to damage the teeth surrounding the gap. Dental implants are inserted straight into the bone and do not rely on support from other teeth.


Single tooth implants work on both front and back teeth, as they support a lot of pressure. Many dentists prefer to use full size implants rather than mini dental implants for single tooth implants, so you may need to have a bone graft if you do not already have enough bone for the implant.

Problems with Single Tooth Implants

Usually single tooth implants are fairly hassle-free, but there is a risk of developing a condition which is called “poor soft tissue result”. This is where the tissues of the gum are very thin or weak. The aesthetic result is that you can have a dark line around your tooth restoration or even, in worst case scenarios, see the implant itself. Obviously this is not ideal. The solution is known as soft tissue grafting. This is where gum tissue which is thick and healthy is taken from the palate of the mouth and grafted on the gum which is covering the implant.

You also face the usual risk with implants that the bone will not fuse to the titanium.

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