What are my three options for replacing a missing tooth?

Missing teeth can be replaced and they should be.  All your teeth work together to help you chew, speak, and smile.  The loss of a back tooth can cause your mouth to shift and your face to look older.   Also, the more teeth we lose and don’t replace the more chewing pressure we put on our remaining teeth that can cause them to crack or wear at a faster rate. 

Option #1- Implants

Option #2- Fixed bridges

Option #3- Removable partials

IMPLANTS:

A dental implant is much like a natural tooth, which has a root in your jawbone, topped by a crown that you can see.  When you need an implant, your dentist inserts a metal post beneath your gum into your bone.  It fuses to the bone and acts like the root of a tooth.  Then, your dentist makes a replacement crown on the metal post.  An implant is the closest option to the look and feel of having a new tooth.

Advantages:

  • Implants are most similar to a natural tooth, the gold standard
  • Implants spare the adjacent teeth from having to be shaped and reduced, as they would for the other options

Disadvantages:

  • Implants are the most expensive option
  • Implant placement takes longer than the other options
  • Some individuals may not have enough bone at the site for implant placement

 

BRIDGES

A bridge (sometimes called a fixed partial denture) is a restoration that spans the space where one or more missing teeth have been lost.  A fixed bridge is cemented into place, only a dentist can remove it.  Bridges are cemented to the natural teeth next to the space left by the missing tooth.  In this process, the teeth adjacent to the space are prepared and reduced for crowns to support the bridge.  The bridge consists of a fake tooth  in the middle attached to crowns on either end that cement down on the teeth.

Advantages

  • Bridges are permanently cemented and feel more solid and stable than a partial
  • Bridges cost less and are done quicker than an implant

Disadvantages

  • Bridges require the adjacent teeth to be reduced and shaped for crowns

 

PARTIALS

Partials, sometimes called a removable bridge, can be taken in and out of the mouth by the patient.  Partials are made of replacement plastic teeth surrounded by gum-colored plastic base that is connected by a metal framework.  They are held in your mouth by metal clasps that surround the natural teeth.

Advantages

  • Partials are the cheapest option
  • Partials can replace many missing teeth with a single appliance

Disadvantages

  • Partials are the least stable replacement
  • Some people find partials to be uncomfortable or awkward
  • Some people are embarrassed to take their teeth out at night or for cleaning

 

Conclusion

How best to replace missing teeth is an important decision.  Please ask Dr. Jeppson to discuss which option may work best for you.