Endosteal implants for posterior single tooth replacement: alternatives, indications, contraindications, and limitations.

Patients frequently need treatment to replace single teeth in the posterior regions. A number of different kinds of therapy have been used to treat this problem, including (1) removable partial denture, (2) acid-etched resin-retained prosthesis, (3) maintenance of the missing space, (4) a fixed partial denture, or (5) an implant-supported prosthesis. The purpose of this article is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each of these treatments. The author concludes that single tooth implants are generally the best choice for dealing with a missing single tooth in the posterior regions of the mouth.