Do you need a replacement tooth after tooth loss or extraction? Or, are you tired of making do with a prosthetic that no longer fits well, or functions as it should? If so, modern prosthetic dentistry offers wonderful solutions for completing your smile both beautifully and comfortably. And with proper dental care, some of these options can last many years, allowing you to get back to life as you knew it before your tooth loss. With so many wonderful ways to restore a smile, there is no need to suffer with prosthetics that don’t fit your smile, or your lifestyle. Instead talk to your restorative dentist about the many ways to complete and correct your smile!
What Are Your Options for Smile Completion?
Here are some basics to keep in mind, when weighing the dental prostheses options available to you:
- Dentures – the most popular prosthetic choice, dentures are both affordable and a fast solution for addressing tooth loss. Partial dentures can replace a single lost tooth, or a few, while full dentures are used to complete a smile when a full arch of teeth is missing. Drawbacks include the chance of shifting, especially while chewing
- Dental bridges – more secure than dentures, but less expensive or invasive than implants, bridges make a great option for patients that want to chew confidently. Crowns will be affixed to existing teeth, and then anchor a replacement tooth or teeth. Bridges can actually be used in conjunction with both dentures and implants!
- Dental implants –the most comprehensive way to address tooth loss, implants provide the most stable form of smile completion, and the most permanent. Oral surgery is required to place the titanium post that anchors a replacement tooth, for an implant. This post also mimics a tooth root, which helps keep the jaw stable even over time, by supplying nutrients to the jaw. The post itself should last a lifetime, so that even if the prosthetic tooth needs replacement, the process will be simple and fast.