Restore Missing Teeth and Improve Your Smile

Did you know that most adults between the ages of 20-64 have roughly 24.92 of their original teeth? That means that about 3% of people have missing teeth.

If you are one of those people, chances are you want to fix the imperfections in your smile. Even if the absent tooth isn’t visible, you should still look into filling the space before adjacent teeth move to partially fill in the gap. 

Luckily, modern dentistry boasts several different treatment options to help you decide. These choices range from dental implants for missing teeth to dentures for that award-winning Hollywood smile. 

Keep reading to discover your dental treatment options for replacing missing teeth. You will see why Better Smiles is the best dental practice to help restore your smile!

Dental Implants

Dental implants are now a go-to option for people with a missing tooth. An artificial tooth acts as a replacement for any teeth extracted or knocked out of your mouth. Dental implant restorations require minimal oral surgery.

People considering dental implants should have good oral health overall. You should ensure that you don’t have any gum disease or underlying conditions before you go in for surgery.

If you have any concerns, feel free to consult the dentist. They will assess your gums and jawbone to see if you are a right candidate for implants. 

Contraindications for dental implants:

• Untreated periodontal disease
• Uncontrolled diabetes
• Blood clotting problems
• Use of bisphosphonates for osteoporosis

Once you get the go-ahead, then you can prepare for the procedure.

Here is what you can expect with dental implant restoration: 

• Bone augmentation or grafting when necessary
• Removal of non-restorable teeth
• Implant fixture placement into bone
• Placement of abutment support
• Placement of crown over abutment support

The entire process, from beginning to end, will take about 4-6 months. The longest part is the healing process when the titanium implant integrates solidly with the jawbone.

One of the key benefits of dental implants is that they preserve jawbone structure. When you lose a tooth, the body resorbs the bone in the spot where your natural teeth used to fill. Over time, the effects of this will become visible. That part of the jaw will have a sunken appearance.

Another benefit of dental implants is their proven longevity. If you keep up with oral hygiene and your dental care, they may last you a lifetime just like your other teeth. 

Of course, the cost may be prohibitive to some. Factors to consider are the number of dental implant units, availability of covered dental benefits, maximum yearly benefit allowance and out of pocket costs.

However, it is worth replacing missing teeth to improve your health and appearance with restored chewing function and aesthetics. 

Implant-Supported Bridge

If you have a row of missing teeth, then an implant-supported bridge might be your best option. Much like a regular dental bridge where natural teeth serves as anchors for the bridge on each end of the missing teeth, dental implants serves as the anchor support instead.

Multiple dental implant units would need to be placed as determined by the span of missing teeth. Either end of the dental bridge support should be dental implants as combining a dental implant on one end and a natural tooth on the other end in a dental bridge is contraindicated. Natural teeth allows for movement while dental implants are ankylosed or fused to bone.

The placement technique and healing time for single tooth implants and bridge implants are no different.

Tooth Supported Bridge 

A tooth-supported bridge is the traditional way of restoring missing tooth or teeth that is affixed to adjacent teeth before the advent of dental implants.

Natural teeth, on either end of the area where tooth or teeth are missing, serve as support or abutment for the fixed dental bridge. This requires cutting and shaping the supporting tooth so that the bridge can be placed on top of the prepared tooth or teeth.

The advantage of the tooth supported bridge is that no surgery is involved unlike in implant supported bridge. The bridge is fixed or cemented in place and therefore feels like natural teeth unlike removable dentures.

The disadvantage of tooth supported bridge from implant supported bridge is that long span bridges require more abutment teeth to serve as support. Therefore, more teeth need to be cut or prepared. If even one supporting tooth develops a decay along the root area, the whole bridge needs to be replaced.

Removable Partial Dentures

Partial dentures are a much easier and less costly option for restoring multiple missing teeth. A mold of your dental arch is created and is sent to the dental lab to create a frame where artificial tooth or teeth can be attached to and an acrylic material mimics the color and appearance of the gums.

Removable dentures are held in place by clasps that attaches to the remaining teeth. The disadvantage of removable dentures is the bulk. Because it is removable, the denture requires sufficient thickness and strength to withstand breakage from the flexion from insertion and removal and chewing. Some people can tolerate the bulk, others may not.  

In some instances, as additional tooth or teeth are lost, it may be possible to add one or more artificial teeth to the removable denture without having to make a whole new denture.

Best Dentist for Missing Teeth

Missing teeth are a common dental problem that many people face. If you have any tooth loss, it can weigh on your confidence. Some people even find it hard to smile because they don’t want anyone to see that they have missing teeth.

At Better Smiles, we believe everyone should be able to smile with confidence. That’s why we offer the best dental care for tooth replacement, including implants, bridges, and dentures!

If you want to restore  your missing teeth, we encourage you to request an appointment with us today! We can get you started on a quick, painless path to self-confidence.