Prosthodontic Options At Blue Sky Dental

When teeth are lost, damaged or have to be extracted, there are a number of ways to replace/repair them.

When a patient is told that a tooth needs to be extracted, one of the questions that we are often asked is what happens afterwards. By this, they usually mean, not the healing process following the procedure, but what options are available to them for replacing the missing tooth or teeth.

There are many good reasons for replacing missing teeth. The most obvious of these is an aesthetic one. Especially if the tooth is at the front of the mouth, a gap will be easily seen by those around you and is likely to cause the patient some embarrassment. Really, patients should always replace missing teeth wherever they are in the mouth, but if front teeth are lost, this becomes even more important.

Aesthetics aren’t the only reason though. Losing a tooth means that you are likely to use the teeth around the gap more frequently when eating. Sometimes these may not be similar types of teeth and may wear more easily. A lost tooth can also cause those around it to encroach into the space, eventually leading to you having a more uneven smile.

Let us take a look then at some of the tooth replacement options that we can offer our patients.

Dentures

This is the one that almost everyone assumes will be the only replacement option available. Certainly, dentures have been around for a very long time, indeed, since ancient times. Modern dentures now look much more natural than in the past and the level of comfort is better too. In most instances, there is no need for any invasive dentistry and they are, up front at least, one of the cheaper options available.

However … not everyone gets on well with dentures. Because they ‘sit’ on the gums, they can be prone to some movement, even where denture adhesive is used. This often happens as, when the tooth has been lost, the bone starts to degrade in that area and changes the shape of the mouth very slightly. Even these small changes though can cause some movement which can make eating and speaking more difficult, and may also cause some embarrassment if they visibly move around when you are speaking to someone. We will come to dental implants shortly, but just to quickly say here that, for those that have loose dentures already, they can be fixed securely in place by using dental implants, although this does require minor surgery.

Dental bridges

A bridge offers more security and stability than dentures. They can only be used when there are teeth available on either side of the gap as it needs these to attach a ‘bridge’ of false teeth to. This is done by first of all, shaping the teeth either side of the gap so that crowns can be attached. Once in place, the crowns support the new “bridge” of teeth, effectively closing the gap in your smile and renewing functionality.

While bridges do offer more stability than dentures, some patients are, understandably, reluctant to have work done on adjacent teeth that are otherwise healthy. Every case is different though and every patient of our Chelmsford prosthodontists is unique – so we will discuss all the options with you during your consultation with us.

Dental implants

There is one key thing that dental implants have which the previous two options don’t and that is a replacement tooth root. While the others sit on the gum line, supported by adhesives or crowns, a dental implant also replaces the tooth root. In fact, it is really an artificial tooth root that we place into the jaw bone to replace the missing one. This works due to the implant being made from a biocompatible material that is not only accepted by the body, but which, over a short period of time, will fuse together with the bone. This process, known as osseointegration, usually takes around three months and once completed, provides you with a solid anchor onto which we will fit your new tooth crown.  This treatment has been around for around since the 1960s and technological advances have made it an increasingly popular option for replacing missing teeth.

With a healthy dental implant you should have a replacement tooth that can last for twenty years or more with good care, and which enables you to eat what you want without concerns. In fact, you can more or less treat it exactly as you would a natural tooth and that includes cleaning too.

Which option for you?

There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution for replacing a missing tooth. Much will depend on the situation but also the patient themselves. Are they anxious about invasive procedures, what does their budget allow and are they prepared to make some changes to their life such as quitting smoking in the case of implants?

We treat all of our Chelmsford patients as individuals and will discuss these and other issues before reaching an agreement as to the best way forward.

If you have a gap in your teeth or have been told that one needs to be extracted and are wondering what to do next, why not arrange a consultation to discuss this with our prosthodontist at Blue Sky Dental? You can make an appointment by calling us today on 01245 211070 and we’ll be delighted to help. Remember that a prosthodontist is a specialist and has considerably more experience for complex cases when compared to ‘regular’ dentists, so you are in good hands.