Filling The Gaps: Tooth Replacement Options
Among the most serious dental problems you can encounter is losing a tooth, or having teeth removed due to damage and decay. This is not a situation faced by just older people like many would like to believe. Damages due to sporting injuries and other accidents often result in young adults also losing teeth.
For aesthetic and functional reasons, any teeth that are lost need to be substituted. This is usually a costly procedure so it is critical that it is done right. In order to work with your dental practitioner in choosing the best tooth replacement option for you, it is important to comprehend what strategies and techniques are available in this area of dentistry.
Below is a brief outline of three most common ways of replacing teeth – dentures, bridges, and implants. Armed with this information it will be possible to make a well-enlightened decision with regards to your tooth replacement procedure.
Dentures
Dentures are the tooth replacement most people associate with elderly people – they are colloquially referred to as ‘false teeth’. They can be a detachable prosthetic designed to replicate teeth which may have been removed or fallen out. You can have full dentures or partial dentures depending on how many teeth you are missing. Most dentures are made by highly specialized dental care workshops. Your dentist will require the mold of mouth and send this off to the workshop to acquire your dentures created.
For many people with dentures they are the necessity, however, they can cause problems of discomfort and even pain. If you are being fitted for dentures, your dentist should brief you on possible problems and remedies to them.
Bridges
Bridges gain their name from their primary function – linking the gap that has been created by one or more missing teeth. They must have teeth on either side of the bridge to be used as support for the bridge. Just as dentures, a bridge will be crafted by a specialized dental care workshop, not your own personal dentist – they will take the measurements. On your first visit, the measurements will be taken and the teeth either side of the bridge, as well as your gums, will be prepared. A temporary bridge will be fitted to avoid any damage to these teeth and gums when you wait for the permanent bridge to be fitted on your next visit.
Implants
Implants are a step above the prosthetic style dentures or links explained above and the process is far more involved. The first step in the process is implanting a titanium device into the jaw, which closely recreates the root structure of your actual tooth. This is quite a serious undertaking and requires a specially skilled dental surgeon. Following this, a replacement tooth is established and fastened to this artificial root.
Generally, the new tooth will be made of ceramic or another material that very closely resembles a natural tooth. This is certainly by considerably the most effective method of tooth replacement if your goal is to have no one even know you have lost a tooth.
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