Crowns and Bridges
If you have received one or a few implants in only one section of your mouth, usually they will be restored using a single crown if there is one implant. If there are several implants, if they have been planned to replace each missing tooth, most commonly you will receive a crown on each implant. These crowns may or may not be joined together depending on the strategy of the restoring dentist. If, on the other hand, the dentist has purposefully left a space between 2 implants, then he would make a fixed bridge, with the missing tooth in the middle getting the false tooth connected to a crown on each side. Usually this is done because the patient is trying to keep the total implant fee as low as possible. If a patient has been able to afford multiple implants going all around the mouth, these will then be restored either with all crowns or a combination of crowns and bridges. The key with all the above is that everything is cemented or retained by screws but is not removable by the patient. Read more about crown and Bridges here.
Fixed and Removal Partial Dentures
For patients missing many teeth, very often a combination of a fixed bar, which is permanently screwed into the implants, is used to support a removable denture or partial denture. There are many reasons for this strategy, some of which may be the anatomy of the mouth, and sometimes it may be cost considerations. This has been a very satisfactory type of reconstruction for many people.
Implant Supported Dentures
In this situation, a patient may have as few as two implants whose tops have ball attachments. Inside the denture are 2 receptacle rubber or plastic rings which snap over the ball attachment to give the patient a very secure fit. In other situations, if the patient has been able to afford 4 implants, then on each side 2 implants are placed and they are connected with a fixed bar. This results with a bar on each side. On the under surface of the denture on each side are clips which snap over the bars. This also gives a very secure fit to the patient and is usually superior to just the 2 balls.