A dental prosthetic is a custom-created device that replaces your missing teeth. There are different types of dental prostheses.  Although if you have one missing tooth or two missing teeth, especially if they are in the back of your mouth and not next to one another, it may seem easy to avoid replacing them, if you do not replace missing teeth, problems are likely to arise due to shifting, misalignment, and a bad bite. Therefore, if you have missing teeth you will need a dental prosthesis. Learn more about the types of prostheses below.

Types of Prostheses

Because each case of missing teeth is unique to each individual, there are a variety of prosthetics to complete your smile including:

The Dental Bridge: A dental bridge consists of a dental crown on each end with one or more artificial teeth in between. The two crowns are cemented to the healthy adjacent teeth on each side of the missing tooth.

A Full or Complete Denture: A full, or complete denture, is required when the patient is missing all of their teeth on their upper or lower arch, or both.  It consists of a pink, gum colored, acrylic base that holds artificial teeth.

A Partial Denture: When you’re missing several teeth, but they are not adjacent to one another, and you still have healthy teeth, a partial denture, also called a “partial,” is often the treatment of choice. A partial is a prosthesis that fits around your remaining healthy teeth, while the artificial teeth fill the openings left by your missing teeth.