If we talk about the major goal of modern dentistry, it is
all about helping you in retaining all of your teeth throughout your life.
However, it is a natural process of us to lose our teeth in our lifetime. And
many people lose their teeth due to trauma or injury. Here, you have to keep it
in mind that losing a tooth is not all about having a gap in your smile. It can
do a bigger damage to your dental, oral and overall health in long run.
So, you may wonder about the solution here, right? Well, you
can consider restorative dentistry. Yes, we are talking about replacing the
missing teeth. The best thing about replacing the missing teeth is that it
doesn’t only restores your confidence among the people you know but it also
helps you in keeping your oral and overall health maintained.
It may be worth discussing the impact of tooth loss on your
dental structure. Jawbone is exactly like a muscle. It remains strong and
active as long as it has a root inserted in it. This root stimulates the
jawbone by exerting pressure which comes from the chewing which we do while
eating. The absence of this root from the jawbone, as a result of tooth loss, deprives
the jawbone of this necessary stimulation. As a result, the jawbone underneath
the gum starts deteriorating.
Hence, you need to look into the options to get your missing
tooth/teeth replaced. Now, we are going to discuss the tooth replacement
options you can go for.
Dental implants
The best option to replace a missing tooth is to get a dental implant. This is the only treatment which involves insertion of a root in place of the missing tooth root. And this root holds a crown on top. Practically, it is exactly like the real tooth. The crown is usually made of porcelain or ceramic.
Since dental implant tends to fully restore the
functionality along with the aesthetics, this treatment can be a costly one.
Moreover, dental implants take extra time to heal before you are able to use it
for proper chewing.
Dental bridge
Another way you can restore missing tooth or teeth is to get a dental bridge. This treatment mainly works at filling the gap but it also partially restores the functionality. It is traditionally based on two crowns, which are settled over the abutment teeth, and the pontic teeth which cover the gap. There are different other types of bridges that you consider for the replacement of missing teeth.
Dentures
If you have lost all or most of your teeth, the dental restoration you can go for is the denture. Dentures consist of faux teeth which tend to restore the functionality along with functionality. However, the functionality restored is usually at a small extent. However, you will still be able to chew your foods. You may have to change dietary habits as chewing hard foods would not be an option for you with dentures.