2650 Lake Sahara Dr., Suite 160, Las Vegas, NV 89117 New Patients Emergencies 702-734-0776
Sandquist Dentistry
Tooth Replacement

Tooth Replacement Options

Finding the right fit for what you’re missing

Updated September 16, 2026

One missing tooth, several, or a whole arch. Each situation calls for something different, and there’s rarely a single best answer that fits everyone. The real question isn’t which option sounds nicest. It’s which one fits your bone, your bite and your budget.

This page is the map. Each option has its own page with the detail.

Don’t wait longer than you have to

A missing tooth doesn’t stay a small problem. The teeth next to it drift into the gap, the tooth above or below it drops down looking for something to bite against, the bone underneath shrinks because nothing is loading it any more, and your bite shifts to compensate.

None of that is urgent in the way a toothache is urgent, which is exactly why it gets put off. But the sooner we look, the more options are still on the table. Bone you still have is easier to work with than bone you have to rebuild.

The four paths

  • A dental implant. A titanium post replaces the root itself, with a crown on top. Usually the strongest and longest-lasting answer for one tooth or a few, as long as there’s enough healthy bone, or bone that can be built back up. It doesn’t involve the teeth either side.
  • A fixed bridge. A replacement tooth anchored to the healthy teeth on each side of the gap. A good answer when an implant isn’t the right fit, but it means preparing those neighboring teeth, which is a real trade if they’re currently untouched.
  • A full-arch implant bridge. When an entire arch is missing or failing, one fixed bridge carried on four to six implants. Often called All-on-4. It doesn’t come out, and it’s a very different decision from a denture.
  • Dentures. A full denture for an arch, an acrylic flipper to hold a space in the meantime, or a denture that snaps onto implants for stability. All removable, and a different proposition from anything fixed.

Who does what

We’ll be straight about this, because it affects how your treatment runs.

We plan and restore implants. We don’t place them. Dr. Sandquist used to place implants himself, so this isn’t unfamiliar territory. We work out where the finished tooth has to sit, and therefore where in the bone the implant needs to go, and that plan goes to the periodontist or oral surgeon who places it. Once it has healed, it comes back to us for the abutment, the crown and the bite, and we follow it at every visit after that.

Bridges, dentures and flippers we make and fit here.

How we work out which one is right

Every case starts with your bite, not with the gap. A replacement tooth is a new chewing surface, and if it lands where your jaw doesn’t want it, the problem shows up in the muscles and the joint rather than in the tooth.

When an implant is on the table, we take a 3D CBCT scan to see exactly how much bone is there before recommending anything. That’s one of the few situations where that scan is genuinely indicated.

Sometimes the answer is straightforward. Sometimes it takes a staged plan to get there, and sometimes the honest answer is that the ideal option isn’t available in your case and here’s the next best one and why.

Real cases

One patient needed a full bone graft before implants were possible at all, years after an old accident. It wasn’t a quick fix, but rebuilding the bone first is what made the rest of it possible.

See the bone graft and implant rebuild →

Another had years of mixed dental work from different offices that had stopped working together. Implants and ceramic restorations resolved it into one bite that functions as a whole.

See how we resolved B.R.’s case →

Every case we’ve photographed, grouped by what brought the person in →

What it costs

These options differ a lot in price, and the cheapest one today isn’t always the cheapest one over twenty years. We’d rather show you the real numbers for each path that’s actually open to you, before you decide.

We’re a fee-for-service office. Here’s how insurance works here, including why a single implant and crown will use up most annual maximums on its own, and here are our prepaid programs.

Getting started

Bring us the gap, or the treatment plan somebody else has given you. We’ll look at the bone, the bite and what you want out of it, and tell you which of the four actually fit. Call 702-734-0776 or tell us what’s going on.

Common Questions

What’s the best way to replace a missing tooth?

There isn’t one answer that fits everyone. For a single tooth with enough healthy bone, an implant is usually the strongest and longest-lasting option, and it doesn’t involve the teeth either side. A bridge is a good answer when an implant isn’t the right fit, though it means preparing the neighboring teeth. For a whole arch it’s a choice between a full-arch implant bridge and a denture. Which one is right depends on your bone, your bite and your budget.

Do you place dental implants?

We plan and restore them; a periodontist or oral surgeon places the implant itself. Dr. Sandquist used to place implants himself, so it’s familiar ground. We work out where the finished tooth has to sit and therefore where in the bone the implant needs to go, and that plan goes to the surgeon. Once it has healed it comes back to us for the abutment, the crown and the bite.

Implant or bridge: which should I choose?

An implant replaces the root and leaves the teeth either side untouched, which matters a lot if those teeth are currently healthy and have never been drilled. A bridge doesn’t need surgery or bone, and it’s often the better answer when there isn’t enough bone, when the neighboring teeth already need crowns anyway, or when the timeline or cost of an implant doesn’t work. We’ll tell you which applies to your case.

What happens if I just leave the gap?

It doesn’t stay a small problem. The teeth next to the gap drift into it, the tooth above or below drops down looking for something to bite against, the bone underneath shrinks because nothing is loading it, and your bite shifts to compensate. None of that hurts, which is why it gets put off, but every one of those changes narrows what’s still possible later.

Can I still get an implant if I’ve lost bone?

Often yes, but it may take grafting to rebuild the bone first, which adds time and cost. That’s exactly what the 3D CBCT scan is for: we look at how much bone is actually there before recommending anything, rather than finding out partway through. If grafting isn’t worth it in your case, we’ll say so and go through the alternatives.

Is a full-arch implant bridge the same as a denture?

No, and it’s worth being clear about it. A full-arch implant bridge is fixed on four to six implants and does not come out. A denture is removable. There’s also a middle option, a denture that snaps onto implants, which is more stable than a conventional denture but still removable. They’re three genuinely different decisions on cost, feel and maintenance.

What’s a flipper?

An acrylic partial denture that holds a space temporarily, usually while you’re healing or deciding. It’s not meant to be the final answer, but it means you’re not walking around with a visible gap while a longer plan plays out.

Do you make metal partial dentures?

Not many any more. Most of what we make is full dentures, which are digitally milled, and acrylic flippers. If a metal partial is genuinely the right answer for your case we’ll talk it through, but it isn’t where we start.

Will my insurance cover replacing a tooth?

Usually a fraction of it. A single implant and crown will use up most annual maximums on its own, because dental plans typically cap between $1,000 and $2,000 a year regardless of what the treatment actually costs. We go through the real numbers with you before anything starts. If you don’t have insurance, our prepaid programs take 10% off most treatment.

Missing a tooth?

Tell us what is going on and we will help you find the piece that is missing. No pressure, no obligation.

Schedule an Appointment → Or call: 702-734-0776