If you’ve been wondering, “Can I straighten my teeth with a missing tooth?” — you’re not alone! This one’s for you.
Missing teeth don’t have to complicate orthodontic treatment, and they don’t have to hold you back from experiencing the smile of your dreams.
With Caudill & McNeight Orthodontics, we offer advanced solutions, custom-crafted to fill in the gaps and ensure that you smile confidently throughout braces or Invisalign® treatment.
Here’s what we’ll answer:
- Can I get braces with a missing tooth?
- Can I get Invisalign with missing teeth?
- What are dental pontics & how do they work?
What is a pontic & who can benefit from one?
A dental pontic is an artificial tooth that serves as a placeholder for a missing tooth. Pontics can be crafted from various materials, including porcelain or resin, and they’re designed to match the shape and color of your natural teeth.
In cases where a tooth is missing due to a dental trauma, disease-related loss, or a congenital condition (when a person is born with missing teeth) – pontics are an ideal solution with significant aesthetic and functional benefits!
Why Replacing a Missing Tooth Matters
Replacing a missing tooth to undergo orthodontic treatment isn’t just about appearances. It’s about maintaining oral health, function and facial structure, and giving you a complete smile that you feel proud to share!
Here’s why pontics are a game-changer:
- Prevent shifting teeth: When a tooth is missing, the neighboring teeth next door tend to shift into the gap over time. This can disrupt your bite and make your orthodontic treatment process more complex. Pontics prevent unwanted tooth movement, ensuring your orthodontic treatment stays on track.
- Protect oral health: Crooked teeth caused by shifting can be harder to clean, leading to plaque buildup, tooth decay, and gum disease. Filling the gap helps maintain proper alignment and reduces these risks.
- Support facial muscles: Missing teeth can cause changes in facial structure over time. Pontics provide support for facial muscles, helping you maintain a natural appearance.
- Improve function: Pontics function like your natural teeth, making it easier to chew and speak throughout orthodontic treatment.
- Boost confidence: Let’s face it — esthetics matter too! Pontics are custom-designed to match your natural teeth and blend seamlessly with your smile. Having a complete smile can help you feel confident while you achieve your stunning new smile.
How Pontics Work with Braces & Invisalign
So we know how beneficial dental pontics are, but how exactly do they work with orthodontic treatment? Let’s dive in:
How do braces with pontics work?
First, you’ll have a custom pontic designed just for you, with the same shape and color as your natural teeth for a seamlessly blended smile.
With braces, the pontic is securely attached to the archwire, filling in the gap left by your missing tooth, and ensuring that the artificial tooth stays in place while we align your natural teeth.
Since the pontic tooth moves with your surrounding teeth, it keeps your orthodontic treatment plan on track, preventing issues that could arise from surrounding teeth trying to fill in the blank.
What about Invisalign with a pontic tooth?
For patients who choose Invisalign, the pontic is formed within the Invisalign aligner. Pontics can be made of a couple different materials depending on the situation and the esthetic needs of the area. In the most esthetic demanding areas, they can be made of a high-quality, resin that is snapped into the Invisalign aligner trays. They come in a variety of shades to match the shade of your teeth – making the pontic indistinguishable from your natural teeth. Alternatively, a flexible tooth colored medical grade silicone based pontic material can also be loaded into each aligner. There are sometimes advantages to this if the pontic needs to be flexible and non-rigid like the resin based pontic.
Either way, the pontic will be molded to match the size of your missing tooth, then gently placed down into the appropriate area of the aligner — and voila! You have a complete smile when you pop in your aligners.
Because you’ll be wearing new sets of aligners throughout your treatment, you’ll be guaranteed to place the material for the pontic area in each tray.
As always, we’re here to guide you!
While the idea of using a pontic is likely new to you and may seem intimidating, it’s a straightforward process, and we’ll be here to explain expectations and answer all of your questions!
Orthodontic treatment with Dr. Caudill, Dr. McNeight, Dr. Naglieri and our 321 team is completely personalized to your needs. We’re known for taking the extra time to ensure that each patient is informed and feels comfortable with the process – every step of the way.
On your first visit to one of our orthodontic offices in Melbourne/Suntree, Merritt Island or Viera, we’ll perform a complimentary smile exam, discuss all of our findings with you, create your custom treatment plan and tell you everything you need to know about pontics.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions! We would love to hear from you. You can text or call us at (321) 259-3237.
Whether you choose braces or Invisalign, you don’t have to let a missing tooth hold you back from achieving your best smile. Say hello to a beautiful, complete smile!
