Losing a tooth is never fun, and your smile will be extremely affected by the cosmetic effects of having one less pearly white. But what are your options if you must lose one of your pearly whites?
Dentures
Don’t worry so much anymore about dentures looking like those which your grandparents used to wear. With the help of technology, modern dentures are more natural looking and they resemble gums and teeth more realistically than they did in the past.
Dentures are often used by people who have lost multiple teeth and even those who have lost an entire set of their teeth. However, partial dentures, or overdentures, are also available to those who have lost just a section of their teeth but not exactly an entire set.
While dentures are cost-effective, there are a couple of disadvantages to using dentures compared to other means of replacing teeth. Firstly, when your teeth begin to move or when you have changes in the size of your jaw, you will also need to have a new set of dentures made which will fit the new contours of your mouth properly. At the same time, dentures rely on the natural suction of your gums in order to keep them into place. This is a rather unstable means of keeping dentures in place and some patients decide to have mini-implants in order to anchor the dentures properly.
Bridges
Bridges are crowns which are attached to portions of the adjacent teeth. While dental bridges are suitable for individuals who have lost just one tooth, the problem with them is that they require considerable preparation of the teeth flanking the space of the recently lost tooth. At the same time, the strength of the dental crown isn’t that stable since the bridge is only attached through the neighboring teeth putting the bridge at risk for falling off even with simple opening and closing of one’s mouth.
Dental Implants
This procedure involves drilling in a titanium rod to the space where the tooth used to be deep within the jawbone. This rod will fuse with the bone tissues surrounding the rod in order to strengthen the entire complex. Once the integration to the bones has occurred, a dental crown can be screwed or cemented on the into place in order to give the impression that a natural tooth is still existing. When it comes to durability, dental implants last much longer than the first two mentioned options although the procedure is pricey and invasive.
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