Single-tooth implant
Also known as: Single implant crown, One tooth implant, Implant-supported single crown
Replacement of one missing tooth with one implant carrying one crown, without involving the neighbouring teeth.
Key facts
| Main stages | Assessment with clinical examination and, commonly, three-dimensional imaging; placement of the implant; a healing period; recording the position by impression or intraoral scan; fitting of the abutment and crown. Stages may be merged or extended depending on the site and on how the bone heals. |
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| Clinical evidence | A systematic review of longitudinal studies reported five-year survival of 97.2% (95% CI 96.3–97.9) for implants supporting single crowns and 96.3% (95% CI 94.2–97.6) for the crowns themselvesClinical evidence |
| Limitations | The same review reported that complications were frequent at five years: screw loosening in 8.8%, soft tissue complications in 7.1%, aesthetic complications in 7.1%, bone loss exceeding 2 mm in 5.2%, loss of retention in 4.1% and veneering fracture in 3.5%Clinical evidence |
| How it differs | Unlike a conventional bridge, a single implant does not require the adjacent teeth to be cut down, which is the main structural argument in its favour. That advantage is largest where the neighbouring teeth are sound and untouched. |
| Alternatives | A conventional or resin-bonded bridge, a removable partial denture, or accepting the space are all legitimate alternatives, and which is appropriate depends on the condition of the neighbouring teeth, the bone, the bite and the person’s preferences. |
Overview
A single-tooth implant replaces one tooth with one implant and one crown, leaving the teeth on either side untouched — the main reason it is often preferred to a bridge when those teeth are healthy. It may be considered where a tooth is missing or unrestorable, the bone is adequate or can be made adequate, gum health is stable and healing is not compromised; none of that can be judged without an examination and imaging. In outline the stages are assessment, placement, a healing period, then the crown, though the sequence can be compressed or lengthened depending on the site. Published five-year survival is high, around 97% for the implant, but the same reviews record that complications are common rather than rare — screws loosen, veneering material chips, and soft tissue and aesthetic problems each affect roughly one case in fourteen at five years. A crown on an implant is a serviceable, maintainable restoration, not a permanent one.
This is general information. Whether any treatment suits you depends on clinical examination, including imaging — no website can determine that.