What is the Best Tooth Replacement Option to Consider for Missing Teeth?

 Tooth Replacement Options

A missing tooth impacts more than just your smile. While most people worry about their incomplete smile, a missing tooth puts you at risk of bone loss in the jaw, teeth misalignment, and other oral problems. All the more reasons to see your dentist about having the tooth replaced.

But which replacement option should you opt for? While your dentist can guide you on the various options, it's always better to do some research on your own.

So, before you go in for your dental checkup, we breakdown the most popular tooth replacement options to help you determine which one is best for you.

Option 1: Dental implants

Dental implants have become one of the more popular choices for tooth replacement. Most dentists recommend it as the most reliable option. The replacement tooth is screwed into your jaw, so it doesn’t move around or slip off. It will look and feel like your natural tooth. Leaving you with a complete, healthy smile. It is also durable and gives your mouth the ability to function as it did before.

Dental Implants

You can get dental implants for one or multiple missing teeth. With proper care, the implant can last a lifetime. The cost of dental implants varies case by case and from state to state. In Florida, the average cost is $5000. But, you can find the costs of dental implants in Ocala, FL to be reasonable.

Pros of dental implants

  • A strong, durable, and effective solution to missing teeth
  • Look and feel like your natural teeth
  • Screwed on, doesn’t rely on neighboring teeth for support
  • A lifelong replacement option as long as you take good care of your teeth

Cons of dental implants

  • Costly, dental implants will cost you thousands of dollars
  • Requires an invasive procedure with the implant being screwed on, there is a possibility of you developing an infection
Option 2: Dentures

Before dental implants were introduced, people usually opted for dentures. Dentures are still common when it comes to multiple missing teeth. The main reason for that is because it is inexpensive when compared to dental implants.

Dentures

Dentures are removable teeth that are clasped into place. They don’t look as natural as dental implants but get the job done when it comes to allowing your mouth to function as it did before. Many find them to be a bit uncomfortable, it takes a while to get used to them. You need to take the dentures out daily and leave them in a cleaning solution, so there are additional steps compared to implants to take care of them.

Pros of dentures

  • Dentures are the least expensive tooth replacement option
  • Easy to add additional teeth to the dentures, in case you lose one or more in the future
  • They are easy to repair and replace when the need arises
  • Fitting the dentures is a simple process, no need for invasive surgery

Cons of dentures

  • Some people may find dentures to be uncomfortable
  • Needs to be removed every night and left in a solution, additional steps for cleaning
  • Can slip off, if not clasped properly

Option 3: Tooth or an implant-supported bridge

Depending on the number of missing teeth, you can decide between a tooth or implant-supported bridge. Bridges use crowns and support from either implants or the remaining teeth to stay in place.

Dental Bridge

An implant-supported bridge is a great solution when you have a row of missing teeth. The solution has two implants at each end of the row. The teeth in the middle are supported by the implants. Tooth supported bridge takes support from the teeth on each side of the gap left by the missing tooth or teeth.

Bridges will look and feel like your natural teeth. They will give you the ability to use your mouth as you did before and regain confidence in your smile.

Pros of bridges

  • Can be used for a missing tooth or a row of missing teeth
  • Not a permanent solution, it is likely that you will need to get the bridge replaced after a few years
  • Doesn’t require an invasive surgery

Cons of bridges

  • Adjoining teeth in teeth supported bridges may be damaged with time
  • Not a permanent solution

Doesn’t matter how you lost your tooth, you have a few options for replacement. In selecting the best, you need to consider cost, durability, look, feel, and your comfort level with the procedure. We have laid out the pros and cons of the three popular options for tooth replacement. All so you can decide the best option for yourself.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Epidemic of Cracked Teeth: Should You Be Worried?

Image
  The Coronavirus pandemic has led to an oral epidemic of sorts. For one, dental clinics had to be shut for months in fear of the pandemic. This resulted in people not being able to seek the oral care they needed. While a lot of dentists offered virtual consultations, they just weren’t as effective as clinic visits.  However, the lack of dental visit wasn’t the root cause of the oral epidemic, it was the stress brought on by the pandemic. During virtual and in-clinic, once clinics reopened, consultation dentists began to notice a lot of patients with the same oral problem, cracked teeth. Linking Coronavirus Pandemic to the Epidemic of Cracked Teeth In a New York Times article, Prosthodontist Tammy Chen highlighted that in times of stress, individuals tend to clench their jaws and grind their teeth unconsciously. All the stress brought on by the fear of the virus, the need for social distance and quarantine, the possibility of losing your job, amongst others led to many unconsciously ad
Read more

Why A Regular Dental Checkup Is Important

Image
A visit to the dentist is every person’s worse nightmare. Lying down on the dentist’s chair with your mouth open, and the dentist examining it using weird instruments - who would like that? However, in order to keep your teeth and gums healthy, it is essential that you visit your dentist regularly. Here are several reasons why a regular dental checkup is important for you:  1) Helps in Getting Rid of Cavity, Plaque, and Tartar Even if you take special care of your oral hygiene, there are still some areas in your mouth that you cannot clean with regular brushing and flossing. As a result, plaque builds up in these areas, and if left uncleaned, it turns into tartar, which is impossible to get rid of without professional help. Regular checkups prevent tartar from damaging your teeth and making holes in them, which leads to cavities. A cavity can decay your tooth, and then you have to get a tooth filling or, in serious cases, extraction. Therefore, it’s best if you get
Read more

Reducing the Risk of Developing a Tooth Abscess

Image
A tooth abscess is becoming more common because individuals are either not aware of it or ignore symptoms that lead to it. Most individuals only care about the aesthetics of their teeth when it comes to oral care. While that is important, there are numerous oral problems that can occur if you don’t take care of your oral health. A tooth abscess occurs due to a bacterial infection leading to the formation of pus on the teeth, usually at the tip of it. What causes tooth abscess? Your mouth consists of millions of bacteria. Bad oral hygiene gives bacteria the chance to feed off food particles leftover to produce acid which leads to plaque . The build-up of plaque results in numerous dental problems which include tooth abscess. Essentially, tooth abscess is caused by: Poor oral hygiene can result in an infection leading to gum disease such as gingivitis increasing the chance of tooth abscess. A cracked tooth which allows bacteria to travel into the pulp and other parts of
Read more