Fix Missing Teeth

No one wants to have a tooth missing from their beautiful smile but fortunately, there are a few options available to patients to replace missing teeth! Here, we will review partial and temporary dentures, dental bridges, and dental implants.

A partial denture is a great option for patients who are missing a few teeth in one area of their mouth. Partials can be made removable or permanent, depending on the patient’s needs and lifestyle. A partial denture relies on one or two healthy neighboring teeth to attach to. If there is only one tooth available, metal or acrylic clasps can be used to hold the partial in place and enable the patient to remove the partial at night for cleaning and sleeping. if there are two teeth available, one on either side, a partial can be used with crowns on the ends that sit over the two healthy teeth and are cemented in place. This option is permanent and cannot be removed by the patient for cleaning or sleeping.

A temporary denture is an appliance that is used to disguise a missing tooth while an extraction site or implant site heals from surgery until the area can be restored with a permanent solution.

A dental bridge is like a fixed partial denture and is a permanent restoration that cannot be removed by the patient. A dental bridge comes in a couple of different forms including a traditional bridge and a Maryland bridge. A Maryland bridge is used to replace just one or two missing teeth and does not affect neighboring healthy teeth. It uses metal wings that are cemented to the backside of neighboring teeth to cement hold the fake teeth in place. A traditional bridge can replace multiple missing teeth and use crowns cemented two healthy adjacent teeth to hold the bridge in place.

A dental implant is the most secure and aesthetically pleasing way to restore a missing tooth. An implant is a titanium post that is surgically placed into the jawbone to act as the root of a tooth. A healing cap is placed over the implant to protect it while the site heals and the implant integrates into the jawbone over a period of six months. Once the implant is ready for restoration, an abutment is placed on the implant to hold the implant crown in place. A dental implant is more costly and more invasive but the benefits of a dental implant make the cost and time worth it for some patients. Implants are significantly more stable than any other restoration and they actually ensure the health of your jawbone.

This leads us to the last option, leaving the space empty. This is not a great choice since not replacing a missing tooth can cause healthy surrounding teeth to shift, trying to fill the space. Your jawbone relies on tooth roots to stimulate bone regeneration and without a root to help ensure bone health, the jawbone can actually begin to deteriorate and cause further problems down the road.

More on Fixing Teeth : Fix Broken Teeth