A healthy set of teeth helps you smile confidently, chew food efficiently, and maintain excellent overall health. Although modern dentistry focuses on preventing tooth decay and gum disease, many people still have one or more missing teeth. It’s crucial for your dental and overall health to replace missing teeth to prevent shifting and overstressing your remaining natural teeth. We offer several tooth replacement options at Trident General Dentistry to meet your unique needs.
Dental Implant And Crown
A dental implant is a titanium dental post that’s surgically placed in the bone to replace the root of an extracted tooth. After the implant heals, a porcelain dental crown attaches to it for a natural appearance.
Replacing one or several teeth with implants and crowns offer many advantages, such as:
· Custom made for your mouth, bite, smile, and face shape.
· High success rate.
· Prevents bone loss that occurs after tooth extraction.
· Provides a very natural appearance.
· Easy to maintain with toothbrushing and flossing.
· Feels like a natural tooth.
· More natural chewing ability.
· Supports your facial muscles to prevent sagging.
· Can last your lifetime.
Fixed Dental Bridge
A fixed dental bridge can replace a single or a few adjacent missing teeth. Your orthodontist prepares the teeth on both sides of the gap for crowns and takes an impression of your mouth. A dental laboratory makes a custom bridge from the impression that consists of crowns that fit your natural teeth. Replacement teeth attach to these crowns, which your orthodontist then bonds to your natural teeth.
The advantages of a fixed dental bridge include:
· Less cost than implants.
· Allow normal chewing.
· Natural appearance.
· No surgery is required.
· Requires no time for healing.
Implants are often more popular than fixed bridges due to these disadvantages:
· Require placing crowns on healthy teeth beside the gap.
· Don’t prevent bone loss at the tooth extraction site.
· Place more stress on the adjacent natural teeth.
· Require more time and effort to maintain.
· Don’t last as long as implants.
Implant-Supported Bridge
An implant-supported bridge uses two or more implants instead of natural teeth for support. This is an excellent choice for replacing several missing teeth. Although you must allow time for the implants to heal, once it bonds with the bone, it helps prevent future bone loss. Implant-supported bridges also require no treatment of the adjacent natural teeth.
Removable Partial Denture
A removable partial denture offers an alternative to implants and bridges for replacing several missing teeth. The partial denture has replacement teeth attached to an acrylic base that are the same color as your gums. Clasps fit around your natural teeth to hold the partial denture in place.
The benefits of a removable partial denture include:
· A low-cost solution to replace several missing teeth.
· Less invasive than implants and bridges.
· Easy adaptation.
· Improves ability to chew and speak.
· Prevents remaining natural teeth from shifting.
Partial dentures have several disadvantages, such as:
· Not as comfortable as implants and bridges.
· Need replacing more frequently.
· Require removal for sleeping.
· Supporting teeth can quickly accumulate dental plaque.
Complete Dentures
A complete denture replaces all missing upper or lower teeth. More than 35 million people in America have no teeth, and about 90% wear dentures. Dentures rely on gums and underlying jawbone for support. Acrylic is the most common material used in denture fabrication.
The benefits of complete dentures include:
· Improved chewing
· Restores smile
· Enables clear speech
· Provides support for facial muscles
· Easy to keep clean
Complete dentures do not prevent the bone loss that occurs after tooth extraction. Because the bone beneath the denture shrinks, frequent adjustments and replacement of the denture may be necessary.
Other disadvantages of complete dentures include:
· Movement of the denture while eating and speaking
· Mouth sores
· May require dental adhesive for retention
· Diet limitations
Implant-Supported Dentures
Implant-supported dentures overcome most of the disadvantages of complete dentures. Implants provide support for the denture and help preserve the remaining bone. The most significant disadvantage of this option is the initial cost, but there are many advantages, such as:
· A more stable denture
· A more natural appearance
· Enhanced biting forces
· Implants can last a lifetime with proper care
· Feels more natural
Schedule an Appointment
If you’d like to further discuss the tooth replacement options we offer at Trident General Dentistry, contact our offices today! We’re here to help restore your smile and improve your health with a complete set of teeth.