Replacement Solutions for Missing Teeth

Living with missing teeth can leave one struggling to chew food properly or speak. It can also create feelings of self-consciousness, thus resulting in negative social situations. Having missing teeth does more damage then ruining the way your smile looks. It can lead to the breakdown of bone tissues in the jaw and the misalignment of any remaining teeth.

Popular solutions for missing teeth

Here are some of the options patients get to choose from when it comes to replacing missing teeth:

1. Implants

These are often recommended by dentists since they are the only way to replace missing teeth that address the bone tissue loss that takes place when a person loses a tooth. Implants serve as artificial teeth roots. They are inserted directly into the patient's jaw and they fuse with surrounding bone tissues. The process is called osseointegration and it makes the implant virtually as stable as a real tooth's root.

An abutment is typically attached to an implant once osseointegration is complete. The abutment serves as a base for a crown, which is the most common restoration used with implants. Implants can also be used to attach other restorations like bridges and dentures. Patients need to be healthy enough for minor oral surgery before proceeding with implants.

2. Dentures

The two main types of dentures are partial and full. Partial dentures are recommended to those who have only lost a few teeth, while full denture sets are for those who have lost most of their real teeth. Dentures restore the appearance of healthy teeth and their function. One issue that often comes up with dentures is their lack of stability due to them being held in place via suction. Dental adhesives can be used to address this problem.

The main benefit that comes with dentures is their affordability. However, it is important to note that these prosthetics do not address the bone tissue loss that takes place when teeth are lost.

3. Bridges

These restorations are used to close up the spaces created by missing teeth. The artificial teeth that come with bridges are called pontics and they are held in place by the two teeth closest to the space created by the missing teeth. These teeth are often covered with crowns to provide better support for the pontics.

4. Implant-supported dentures

This is the recommended way to tackle the stability issues associated with dentures and it also preserves the patient's bone tissues. It reduces the cost of replacing all of the patient's teeth with implants since fewer implants are used to support dentures. The patient gets four to six implants on each side of the jaw and dentures are attached to the implants.

Restore missing teeth

Call or visit our Coral Gables office if you have missing teeth that need to be replaced. An evaluation can be done in order to determine the most appropriate course of treatment. 

Request an appointment here: https://www.gablesexceptionaldentistry.com or call Gables Exceptional Dentistry at (305) 203-4132 for an appointment in our Coral Gables office.

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