Losing a tooth comes with a lot of problems. It can affect your ability to chew food adequately, and can make smiling and speaking a little bit awkward, or sometimes even impossible. A missing back tooth can cause a change in the positioning of your mouth or even make your face look older than it should.
The good thing is that missing teeth are replaceable, and there are tooth replacement options for everyone with their specific needs. Your dentist is the best person to ask about the best option for you.
Replacing A Single Tooth
There are two methods in replacing a single tooth: 1) using a fixed bridge and 2) using a crown attached to an implant. There are advantages for each.
1) For the fixed bridge method, the dentist will drill down the teeth adjacent to the tooth that need to be replaced. The purpose for drilling the other teeth down is to allow space for the installation of three or more adjacent prosthetic crowns. The advantage of crown bridging is that it creates a system that can handle strong loads and forces.
There are disadvantages for this method. First, use of dental floss to clean in between two involved teeth will be impossible, as there will be no space for the floss to get in. Second, the supporting teeth may develop periodontal disease or cavities.
2) For the implant method, there will be no need to involve adjacent teeth in the treatment. Adjacent teeth need not be restored, but their condition must be closely observed after the treatment.
For this tooth replacement procedure, the dentist will put an implant in the position where the missing tooth used to be. After some time of allowing the implant to gain stability, a prosthetic crown is then loaded on it. There is an abutment that joins the crown and the implant together.
Dental floss can be used in this setup, and development of cavities is hardly a problem. Complications can be totally avoided with regular oral hygiene.
Multiple Teeth Replacement
This procedure is designed to replace two or more adjoining teeth. Implants will be put in locations previously occupied by the missing teeth, and the affected areas will be given time to heal.
Right after the implants are placed, the dentist will construct temporary abutments and put them on the top of the implants. Permanent abutments will replace the temporary abutments in time.
Removable Dentures Supported By Implants
This is the best option for people whose lower teeth or upper are all gone. The trick is to put implants that are sufficient enough to support the denture that will be constructed. The new denture will be a removable one and can be put into place with the use of attachments.
The advantages for this tooth replacement method are the ability to allow cleaning of the denture and the strong support the denture can give to the cheeks, the facial skeleton, and the lips.
For further information about dentures or dental implants in Washington DC, contact an experienced dentist in the area who can answer your questions.