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Losing a tooth can be a traumatic experience. It can affect your ability to communicate and eat, lead to various issues with your oral health, and damage your self-confidence. Fortunately, there are plenty of tooth replacement options to choose from, and each one can improve your quality of life significantly.
If you’re looking to replace a missing tooth, consider these options:
Dental Bridge
Dental bridges are a minimally invasive method of tooth replacement that uses a device composed of one or more prosthetic teeth with a dental crown on either end. The dental crowns are fixed onto the natural teeth on either side of the gap where teeth have been lost to provide support to the prosthetics.
An advantage of dental bridges is their relatively low cost and the simplicity of the procedure. No surgery is required, and therefore there’s very little recovery time. However, bridges do not stimulate bone growth like some other procedures, nor do they provide as much support.
Full or Partial Dentures
Dentures are a common tooth replacement option using a removable prosthetic device that’s capable of restoring form and function to your mouth when some or even all of your teeth are lost.
One of the best parts about dentures is that the procedure is mostly non-invasive unless you need to have a tooth extracted. However, there are some drawbacks to keep in mind. Traditional full and partial dentures don’t provide as much support as other options, and some patients struggle to eat and speak comfortably while wearing them.
Dental Implants
The most popular tooth replacement procedure today is the dental implant. Dental implants use a titanium post that is fused directly to the jawbone and then connected to a natural-looking prosthetic tooth in order to provide the highest level of strength and support of all tooth replacement methods.
While the dental implant procedure is more invasive than some other tooth replacement options, it’s still considered minimally invasive due to modern techniques. Additionally, dental implants can actually be used in tandem with other tooth replacement options to make them even more effective.
Those options may include:
Implant-Supported Bridges
When your natural teeth are unable to support a dental bridge, or when you simply don’t have the natural teeth to support a bridge, you can use dental implants as a tooth replacement option in their place. Two dental implants can help to replace multiple consecutive missing teeth at once.
Implant-Supported Dentures
If you’re looking to replace a whole row of teeth at once, dental implants aren’t always a viable option. However, with just a few strategically-placed dental implants, you can support a full denture that offers more stability and comfort than the traditional option.
Mini Dental Implants
If the dental implant procedure sounds too invasive for you, or you don’t have the proper bone density to support one, mini dental implants can be a great alternative. This procedure provides a similar level of strength and support with a less invasive procedure that doesn’t require a bone graft.
Looking to Replace a Missing Tooth?
Diana Rodriguez & Associates can help! We offer tooth replacement in only one or two brief visits. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.
