There are two sets of teeth in a person’s life: milk teeth and permanent teeth. Milk teeth usually erupt about 6 months after birth and are replaced by permanent teeth by about 12 years of age. If properly protected, permanent teeth will stay with us for the rest of our lives. However, due to various oral diseases, such as dental caries, periodontal disease, trauma and some congenital developmental disorders, some teeth will be “retired” early, forming different degrees of tooth loss. What should we do if we have missing teeth? 1.When is the right time to restore missing teeth? Missing teeth should be restored as soon as possible. In general, the movable denture restoration can be done about 1 month after the tooth is missing, and the fixed restoration can be done about 3 months after the tooth is missing. Implant restorations can be done at the same time as the extraction, or 1 month or more after the extraction, depending on the situation. If a tooth is missing for a long time without restoration, it may cause the neighboring teeth to be tilted, the opposing teeth to be elongated, and in serious cases, it may also cause temporomandibular joint dysfunction, etc. 2.What are the restoration methods after tooth loss? There are three main types of restoration methods after tooth loss, namely, movable restoration, fixed restoration and implant restoration. (1) The movable denture is a type of denture that patients can take and wear by themselves. It has a wide range of application, cheap, easy to repair and other characteristics. However, they are large in size and have a foreign body sensation when first worn, so they need to be removed for cleaning every day. In addition, the recovery of chewing function of removable denture is not as good as fixed denture. (2) Fixed denture is a type of denture that uses natural teeth as abutment teeth, and the denture is bonded to the natural teeth and cannot be taken out and worn by the patient. Fixed dentures are more comfortable to use and have a better bite recovery. It is convenient to use because it does not need to be taken out and worn. However, fixed denture requires high demand on natural teeth and requires grinding and preparation of natural teeth. Generally, it is suitable for cases where the number of missing teeth is small and the remaining teeth are in good condition. The price of fixed denture is higher than that of removable denture. (3) Implant denture refers to the placement of pure titanium implants in the alveolar bone after tooth loss, and then the denture is restored on top of the implants. Due to the support of implants (equivalent to artificial tooth roots), its chewing function is well restored without grinding natural teeth, which is the closest restoration method to natural teeth at present. The implant requires surgical placement and is the more expensive of the three methods. So, what is the best restoration method to choose? This is a common concern for patients. The best restoration method may be different for each individual and requires a combination of factors, such as the patient’s own physical and oral conditions, restoration results, time, and cost. We would recommend visiting the hospital first and presenting your wishes and requirements. The doctor will conduct a comprehensive and detailed examination of your oral condition, design the restoration according to your oral condition of missing and remaining teeth, occlusion and jawbone relationship, age, gender and general condition, and then present you with a suggested plan, treatment cost and expected results for you to choose from.