There are three basic ways to fix a missing tooth or teeth.

• A fixed bridge
• A removable appliance
• A dental implant

A dental bridge is a false tooth or teeth, known as a pontic, which is fused between two porcelain crowns to fill in the area left by a missing tooth. The two crowns holding it in place that are attached onto your teeth on each side of the false tooth. This is known as a fixed bridge. This procedure is used to replace one or more missing teeth. Fixed bridges are permanent and can not be removed like dentures can be.

Removable appliances are used to move teeth with wire springs. These springs do not move teeth as accurately as braces do, so the use of removable appliances is limited to simple tooth movements, usually in children who are yet to lose all of their deciduous teeth. Dentures are also a useful appliance as they can fill the gaps of missing teeth and are removable for easy cleaning.

Dental implants are simply artificial roots with a false tooth on top. They are integrated into a patients jawbone fusing together with the bone over time to form a strong, long-lasting replacement tooth.