If I have a missing tooth and want to replace it, but have a crooked tooth too, how do I fix that? I was thinking of replacing the lost tooth with a dental implant and straightening my teeth with Invisalign. If so, would I do Invisalign before or after? If I have to do it after does Invisalign work with missing teeth or do I replace my teeth with something else?

Theodora

Dear Theodora,

You have picked two wonderful procedures. Nice work! Dental implants will be a great tooth replacement and Invisalign has one of the highest patient satisfaction rates of any dental procedure.

Between the two, you will want to straighten the teeth before replacing the tooth.

Invisalign does a great job of working around missing teeth. It uses a sophisticated software program to design the ideal treatment plan for you.

Aside from being comfortable, allowing you to straighten your teeth invisibly, and working in a fraction of the time of traditional braces, the aligners can also double as teeth whitening trays. This means you can straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time, giving you a mini smile makeover at a fraction of the cost.

Then, once all your teeth are in place it will be time to get your dental implant. You will want to go to a dentist who has post-doctoral training in placing dental implants. It is not something taught in dental school.

When you are done, you will have a beautiful straight smile.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.