Replacing Missing Teeth
Modern tooth replacement options.
Lots of people lose teeth, whether that’s through an injury, tooth decay, gum disease or old age. If you have a missing tooth, or a few missing teeth it can affect you in many ways. It may affect the way you sound and appear, altering your speech and making your cheeks sag. It can also make the surrounding teeth tilt and food and debris may get caught in the missing tooth gap.
If you have missing teeth, there are many different treatment options available for you here at Abbey Road Dental, NW8.
Advancing dental technology has meant that there is a treatment option suitable for everyone and replacement teeth are made to high specifications where we can match the colour of your other teeth almost perfectly.
Potential Replacement Teeth Options Are:
- False Teeth – these are removable frameworks that hold false teeth and they can be made from plastic or metal.
- Bridges – these are singular false teeth held in place by being fixed to the surrounding teeth
- Dental Implants – these are basically replacement tooth roots, where a titanium metal peg is implanted into your jawbone and that implant then fuses with the jawbone. One dental implant can serve more than one tooth in certain procedures. Whilst suitable for the majority, the treatment involves a minor surgical procedure and hence isn’t suitable for everyone. Modern dental implants can last for many years if placed expertly and cared for properly.
The best treatment for you really depends on each individual. When booking in for an appointment at Abbey Road Dental, NW8 we can discuss the appropriate treatment options for your individual circumstances.
Dentures
There are three different types of dentures available – temporary, partial and full. Temporary dentures are usually used when your jawbone and gums are healing from tooth removal. Partial dentures are used to replace one tooth or a few separate teeth throughout the mouth; so would be used when a person hasn’t lost all their teeth, but just some and where a framework is needed to hold the new tooth/teeth in place. Full dentures are complete sets of teeth held together with a framework and are used when a person has no teeth. Full dentures include a plate which fits against the roof of your mouth. When full dentures are fitted properly, there isn’t any need for denture fixatives, however many people still choose to use it for additional security.
Dental Bridges
There are two main types of dental bridges – traditional bridges and Maryland bonded bridges (resin retained bridges). Traditional bridges are where a crown is fixed to a singular fake tooth or ‘pontic’ placed in the missing tooth gap. So the crowns attached to the surrounding teeth are actually what keep the fake tooth in place. A Maryland bonded bridge is a type where the fake tooth will have ‘wings’ attached to it which are fixed to the teeth either side of the gap.
Dental Implants
Dental implants are long metal pegs which are implanted into the gums and jawbone during surgery. Once they have successfully healed a fake tooth is then attached to a screw or clip at the top, holding it in place. Dental implants may not be suitable for everyone but are considered to be an excellent option and can last a lifetime when cared for properly.
Come In For An Assessment
If you have a missing tooth, or several we can help you decide which treatment option is best for you. Whilst not really desirable, it may be that you choose to leave the missing tooth gap empty, in which case we can provide you with lots of advice on how to manage and maintain that properly in relation to your overall oral health. Here at our friendly family dental clinic we take pride in providing a friendly and welcoming environment for all our patients. If you need advice on replacing missing teeth, we would be more than happy to help you. Please call us on 02076241603 and our lovely patient coordinator Debbie will help you arrange an appointment.