A gappy smile is a cute look for a child, but it is completely different when you are an adult. Losing a front tooth can be embarrassing and extremely upsetting and can make it difficult to socialize with others with any degree of confidence. People who lose teeth will often find they lose self-esteem, too, even though tooth loss is a very common occurrence that will impact many of us or our loved ones. Fortunately, residents of Franklin Square, NY, have several options to restore their smile.
Available Treatments
- Single Tooth Denture: A quick and affordable solution, but often temporary and less stable.
- Fixed Dental Bridge: More permanent, but requires reshaping adjacent teeth.
- Dental Implant: A long-term solution that replicates a natural tooth root, preserving jawbone health and aesthetics.
Read more: Single Tooth Implants and How to Choose This Option Franklin Square, NY?
Single Tooth Denture
A single tooth denture is the quickest and cheapest way to restore a missing tooth. The replacement tooth is made from acrylic and is fixed onto a gum-colored acrylic denture base. The denture is removable and must be left out overnight to allow the gums to recover.
Although it is the cheapest option, it is also the least satisfactory. The denture will not have good biting strength, and because it rests on the gums, it can move around. Usually, a one tooth denture is a temporary solution used while somebody decides on a more permanent option or is worn while waiting for the gum to heal before implant surgery.
Fixed Dental Bridge
A fixed dental bridge is a more permanent solution and is a popular choice for replacing a single missing tooth. It consists of the replacement tooth called a pontic attached to two crowns that fit over the adjacent teeth. These adjacent teeth must be substantially reshaped to make room for the crowns and ensure they do not look or feel too big and bulky and unnatural.
The procedure to have a fixed dental bridge is relatively quick as your dentist needs to prepare your teeth before taking an impression that is sent to the dental lab. They then fabricate the dental bridge to the dentist’s specifications. Once it is ready, you return to the dental office so it can be tried in and fitted, and permanently cemented in place. A fixed dental bridge has good biting strength and should look and feel natural.
However, having a fixed bridge does mean those adjacent teeth need to be cut down quite a bit, potentially removing healthy tooth material. Once this tooth material is removed, it will never grow back, and you will always need to have these teeth crowned in the future, even if you subsequently decide to opt for a dental implant later on.
Another problem with having dental crowns fitted is that they do not last forever, and as they age, they can begin to leak. When this happens, it can let in bacteria that cause infection and decay. Finally, although a three-tooth bridge can seem a more cost-effective choice initially compared with a dental implant, it can be more costly in the long run. When replacing the three-tooth or three-unit bridge, you need to budget for three teeth rather than just a single implant crown.
That said, a dental bridge might be a good option if the adjacent teeth are decayed or broken down or will benefit from being crowned. In addition, this treatment can be good for anyone who cannot have implant treatment, perhaps because they are unsuitable for oral surgery.
Read more: Could Dental Implants Help Your Smile Makeover?
Dental Implant
Increasingly, dentists are recommending dental implants to replace missing teeth, and they can be a fantastic solution whether you have a single tooth missing or have lost multiple teeth.
Implants are unique because they are designed to replace the entire tooth, consisting of a titanium or zirconia post or screw that is surgically inserted into the jawbone, closely replicating a real tooth root.
Next, a special attachment called an abutment is fitted onto the implant post, supporting the implant crown. People who are missing multiple teeth that were originally side-by-side can have a fixed implant bridge, where they do not need to replace every tooth with an implant post. It’s an option that can even be used to restore a complete arch of teeth using relatively few dental implants.
Another option is an implant-supported denture, which is usually recommended for people who miss an entire arch of teeth. It can be extremely cost-effective as relatively few implants are needed.
Read more: What Is a Dental Implant Bridge & How to Choose It in Franklin Square?
Advantage of Choosing Dental Implant Treatment
There are several advantages in choosing dental implant treatment, and the first is appearance, especially when restoring single teeth. Because the tooth is restored with an implant crown, it looks amazingly natural, or even better than the real tooth, and is surrounded by gum in the same way as an ordinary tooth.
Another advantage is that dental implants are self-supporting. Your implant dentist won’t need to grind down potentially healthy teeth. Instead, the implants help protect your natural teeth by sharing the load created when you bite and chew food and preventing your natural teeth from shifting position. Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of choosing dental implants is they protect your jawbone against bone loss.
When you lose natural teeth, your jawbone quickly resorbs without the stimulation provided by tooth roots. Bone resorption can significantly impact oral health. It can destabilize nearby teeth, and where multiple teeth are missing can cause problems with wearing dentures.
In people with complete tooth loss, bone loss can make it nearly impossible to wear dentures comfortably and is the reason why they slip and move around uncomfortably and embarrassingly.
What About the Oral Surgery Needed to Insert Dental Implants?
A short surgical procedure is needed to insert the implants, but most people are surprised to find it is relatively comfortable and quite quick. Typically, a single dental implant can be inserted in an hour or less.
However, if you are concerned about the thought of surgery or feel nervous, or need multiple dental implants, ask your implant dentist about sedation dentistry. This is a commonly used technique to ensure surgery is more comfortable, providing sedation to help you relax. Also, the sedative often contains an amnesiac, so you won’t remember much if anything about the treatment afterward.
Read more: What Can Go Wrong with Dental Implants?
Teeth in a Day
Another common worry is being left without teeth after implant surgery. These days, an implant surgeon can often fit a temporary tooth on the same day of implant surgery, so you are never without your smile.
In Franklin Square, practices like Clocktower Dental offer advanced dental implant services, including front tooth implants that provide natural aesthetics and long-term durability. Additionally, local dentists emphasize the importance of choosing a treatment that suits your lifestyle and oral health needs.
If you’re in Franklin Square, NY and want to restore your smile, consult a local dentist to explore the best options. Contact Clocktower Dental at (516) 352-1000 or visit them at 110 New Hyde Park Rd to discuss how dental implants can help you achieve a confident smile. You can also learn more at https://www.clocktower-dental.com/.