Top 3 Options for Missing Teeth Replacement
Missing teeth can have a huge impact on your appearance, and consequently your confidence and self-esteem. Whether you have missing teeth because of accidental damage, genetic condition, gum disease, or severe tooth decay, it can cause several problems. Therefore, it’s important to fix missing teeth as soon as possible and there are plenty of options with cosmetic dentistry treatments. Especially if you want to create a Hollywood smile.
The Impact of Missing Teeth
Missing teeth can have a negative impact on the rest of your mouth. It’s incredibly important that you consider all your options for missing teeth fixtures. For example, missing teeth can negatively affect the alignment of your teeth over time. Even just one single tooth lost can have detrimental effects on your oral health and confidence.
Missing teeth can also affect your speech, ability to chew food, and the integrity of your jaw bone. In some cases, it can lead to the shifting of remaining teeth into some of the empty space. Fortunately, how to fix missing teeth isn’t as complicated as you might think. There is now plenty of options to fix missing teeth and restore your lovely smile.
Most Common Options for Missing Teeth
Below is a brief overview of the most common missing teeth options for replacement that plenty of people follow through with:
Dental Bridges
Essentially, this option bridges the gap between missing teeth. The teeth either side your missing teeth (or tooth) are reduced to a stump (these are known as abutment teeth). These are then used to support the new tooth in between (known as the pontic). Depending on your individual case, up to two or three teeth can be replaced with new pontics in these areas, supported by an abutment tooth on either side.
Dental bridges have been around for many years and are one of the most reliable options for missing teeth replacement. The only concern is that the teeth either side your missing teeth need to be trimmed down. Sometimes these teeth may be diseased or decayed and require reduction anyway, but if these teeth are healthy, it can be unnecessarily destructive to trim away otherwise healthy tooth tissue.
Fix Missing Teeth with Dentures
Dentures are one of the more low-cost options for missing teeth. Dental bridges can be more expensive because to replace one tooth you effectively need to pay for three – two abutment teeth (one either side of the gap) and the new pontic (replacement tooth) in the middle.
In comparison, dentures are a cheaper alternative as they take less time to make and involve less expensive materials.
Partial dentures are those involving only a few teeth and can be held in place using clips known as clasps. These are typically made of stainless steel and clasp over the undercut to hold the denture firmly in place.
Arguably, dentures are the least appealing missing teeth options. Since they are removable, many people don’t like the idea of taking dentures out at night and any possibility of it coming loose in the day.
Dental Implants
One of the most reliable and popular missing teeth options is dental implants. They look and feel like real teeth and permanently fix missing teeth. They are a great missing teeth option if you need to replace a single tooth or multiple teeth in different areas. Though they are the most expensive option for missing teeth, they will last you a lifetime if well looked after. Plus, they don’t involve reduction of otherwise healthy teeth either side of them like dental bridges. They also don’t put pressure on other teeth like dentures do with their class or clips.
The process of dental implants involves the replacement of your tooth’s root with metal screws, which will be used as an anchor for the false tooth placed on top. Once the screws have been put into place, you will need to allow the implant to heal for a few months, during which time, the implant becomes securely fused to your jawbone. Once the implant has healed completely, a dental crown will be placed on top and secured.
Because the dental implant is placed into the bone itself it helps to stop the inevitable bone loss which always happens after a tooth has been removed, as previously discussed. Preventing this loss of bone also means that the soft tissue (gum) is also protected, thereby preserving your more natural and cosmetic smile over a longer period.
As with the other forms of replacing missing teeth a dental implant also supports the adjacent teeth and stops them drifting in towards the gap whilst at the same time supporting the opposing tooth preventing it from over erupting.
At Vera smile we’re committed to helping you maintain oral health and providing the best options for missing teeth. For advice and a quote depending on your specific needs, contact us today and discover how much your full mouth dental implants cost will be when choosing Vera Clinic.