You may try to live with a missing tooth or a few missing teeth. But trying to conceal a dental problem by smiling with your lips closed or avoiding drawing any attention to your mouth takes effort. Wouldn’t it be easier to give a big grin whenever you want without feeling self-conscious? While there are multiple ways to replace missing teeth, you may find yourself choosing between a dental bridge or dental implants to set your smile to rights.
Dental Implants May Be Right for You
Dental implants completely fill the hole in your smile, from root to crown. People who are missing one tooth often choose to fill that space with an implant, knowing that it will become a secure part of their smile. Patients who are missing several teeth around their mouth can sometimes use one or two implants. An implant can even hold several prosthetic teeth to fill a larger area.
Dental implants are customized to suit your mouth in all ways, being shaded, shaped, and sculpted to match your natural teeth in color, size, and overall appearance. The most important determining factor for a dental implant is that you have a strong enough jawbone to accept this dental restoration. The implant itself goes into your bone and fuses in place, and your mouth must be strong and free from gum disease for this solution to work.
Once your Arlington dentist has put your implant in place, you will see that this smile makeover is life-changing, especially if you’ve been living with missing teeth for a long time. Never again will you have to worry about the space in your smile.
Benefits of a Dental Bridge
A dental bridge also fills the hole left by one or two missing teeth. A bridge is secure and durable, just like a dental implant, but a bridge stays on the surface of your gums without going deep into the jawbone or creating a new tooth root.
The bridge has clasps that are attached to both sides of the area you want to fill. Porcelain crowns are then used to anchor the bridge in place. This solution looks natural and prevents teeth from shifting around. As dental restorations go, a dental bridge is a less invasive solution than an implant and, typically, less costly.
Why You Must Replace Missing Teeth
Many people think one missing tooth isn’t such a big deal, especially if it’s in the back of the mouth or relatively unnoticeable. Maybe it is easy to overlook an absent tooth in some situations – the problem is when the missing tooth causes other problems to develop.
Teeth have a job to do. Missing even one leaves you susceptible to not only self-consciousness, but other oral health problems. One missing tooth can cause other teeth to drift into the open area and find a way to fill it whether you like it or not. Over time, several missing teeth can cause that location in your mouth to shrink in on itself and make you look older than you really are.
Your smile is important, and the health of your teeth and gums is just as critical as how they look. Get the right restoration for you. Contact Dr. Alana Macalik today to schedule a consultation to talk about replacing your missing teeth.