Missing teeth are nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it’s a very common problem that many people face.
But just because it’s common doesn’t mean you should leave it be. There are so many tooth replacement options out there, and one is bound to be suited for your specific situation to give you the beautiful smile you’re looking for.
So today, let’s take a look at ways you can have your teeth replaced so you can enjoy a complete set of teeth good for smiling, chewing, and everything else you need.
1. Dental Implants
The first option available to you is dental implants. Dental implants are a great way to replace one, maybe two, missing teeth. It’s a great option for people who have had a tooth knocked out during an injury, for example.
Essentially, a dental implant is a metal screw that is embedded into the gum and anchored into the bone. The screw protrudes out of the gum and has a fake tooth attached to it. The result is a natural-looking, effective, permanent, fake tooth.
Because they behave like normal teeth, you can brush and floss dental implants normally, along with your natural teeth. This is a great option that is convenient and easy to maintain. However, this is only a good option for people who are missing one or two teeth — it can get expensive and impractical to go beyond that.
2. Dental Bridges
The next option is dental bridges. Bridges are a small set of fake teeth that anchor onto adjacent healthy, natural teeth. It’s a great choice for people who are missing one to three teeth in a row but still have healthy teeth surrounding the gap.
To get bridges, your dentist will first install crowns on the teeth next to the gap. Then, they’ll take a mold of your mouth and create the bridge to fill the gap. After that, the new bridge is permanently anchored to the crowns, and you’ve got a complete smile.
A bit of unique cleaning needs to be done when you have a bridge. You’ll need a special type of floss called a threader to clean between the bridge and your gum, but other than that, annual checkups and professional cleanings will help your dental bridge last for years.
3. Dentures
Dentures are one of the more flexible teeth replacement options because they can suit anybody’s needs. There are lots of different types of dentures out there. You can have a full set of dentures that give you an entirely new set of teeth or a partial denture that only replaces some of your teeth.
Dentures are prosthetic teeth you can take in and out for daily cleaning. They’re one of the more hygienic options for this reason. While dental bridges are great, the tough-to-clean parts can be prone to gathering bacteria. But with dentures, daily cleaning is easy.
The Problem With Conventional Dentures
Although dentures are a good option for tooth replacement, some things are left to be desired when it comes to full dentures. For starters, there’s the issue of how well your dentures fit your gums.
Many times, when you get a set of dentures, they stay put in your mouth through denture adhesive, and a bit of suction is generated from a good fit to your gums. But sadly, this isn’t foolproof. Dentures can come loose, leading to difficulty talking and chewing, and sometimes they can even fall out.
On top of that, when you’re toothless, there are some health risks that dentures don’t solve. When you have natural teeth, they are anchored into the bone in your jaw and mandible, such that chewing stimulates the bone and muscle in your face.
If you don’t have teeth, chewing does not stimulate that bone, which can cause it to atrophy. This bone atrophy can lead to something called dental bone loss, where your jawbone begins to deteriorate.
This can lead to pain and an increased risk of developing gum disease, but it can also cause your facial features to sink or sag because the bone gets weaker and weaker. Unfortunately, once this starts to happen, it’s very difficult to reverse.
Unfortunately, because they aren’t surgically placed into your gums, traditional dentures don’t do anything to prevent this.
4. Anchored Dentures
A high quality option to replacing missing teeth is anchored dentures, also called implant-supported dentures. This method uses innovative dental technology to solve the problems of regular dentures while still giving you a beautiful, hygienic set of new teeth.
Anchored dentures are removable dentures that are anchored in place in your mouth through the use of dental implants. Your dentures simply snap onto the implants to give you a secure fit throughout the day, and then they can snap out whenever you need to clean them.
The Benefits of Anchored Dentures
This technology corrects the two big problems with traditional dentures. For starters, it gives you a secure fit that you can rely on for chewing, talking, and anything else that you need your teeth for. Because they are secured in place, you don’t have to worry about them coming loose or falling out, but you can still remove them easily.
On top of that, the dental implants that secure them are surgically placed into your gums and bonded with the bone in your mouth. This means that using your dentures to chew gives your bone the stimulation it needs to stay healthy and strong. So anchored dentures can significantly reduce your chance of developing jaw bone loss.
With all that in mind, anchored dentures are a high quality and a high value choice for full teeth replacement.
A Full, Complete Smile
Everybody deserves to have a smile that they can be confident in, and now you know the options available to give you just that. Whether you’re missing one tooth or all of them, a full set of pearly whites is just a step away.
For more information about tooth replacement and anchored dentures, check out Renew.
Sources:
Dental bone loss | American Academy of Medical Orthodontics
Dentures: types, cost and caring tips | Kidodent
Implant Supported Dentures: Process, Benefits & Care | Cleveland Clinic