Losing just one tooth—whether it’s a molar in the back or a visible tooth in the front—can feel like a major disruption to your life. You might find yourself chewing only on one side of your mouth or feeling hesitant to let out a full laugh during a lunch date at the Lakewood Towne Center. Many of our neighbors in Lakewood and Tacoma are faced with a choice: get a traditional dental bridge or go with a Single Tooth Dental Implant. At the office of Dr. Kevin Kim, DDS, we almost always recommend the implant because it is the only solution that replaces the entire tooth, from the root up, without having to grind down the healthy “neighbor” teeth next to the gap.

The process of getting a Single Tooth Dental Implant is a masterclass in precision. Dr. Kevin Kim uses CBCT 3D Imaging to see the exact shape of your jawbone before we even begin. This allows us to perform Computer-Guided Implant Surgery, where the titanium post is placed with incredible accuracy. This post acts as a new root, and over a few months, your bone actually grows around it in a process called Osseointegration. This is the secret to why implants feel so much like natural teeth—they are literally part of your body. Once the implant is rock-solid, we attach a custom-made crown that is color-matched to your other teeth so perfectly that you might even forget which one is the implant.

Choosing an implant over a bridge is also a smart move for your long-term health. When you have a bridge, the dentist has to file down the healthy teeth on either side to act as anchors. This can make those teeth more prone to decay or root canals later on. An implant, however, stands completely on its own. Furthermore, because the implant sits in the bone, it tells your body to keep that bone strong and dense. Without a root (or an implant), the jawbone in that area will naturally start to shrink away over time. By choosing Dr. Kevin Kim, DDS for your single tooth replacement, you are protecting the rest of your smile for decades to come.

We understand that you want your new tooth to look beautiful and last a lifetime. Depending on where the tooth is located, Dr. Kim will help you choose between a Zirconia Implant Crown—which is incredibly strong and great for back teeth—or a Porcelain Implant Crown, which has the natural translucency that makes it look perfect for front teeth. To learn more about how single implants compare to other options, you can check out the American Academy of Periodontology or see what the Mayo Clinic says about the success rates of single-tooth replacements. Dr. Kevin Kim is here to help you close that gap and get back to smiling with total confidence.