Dental Implants
What can you do when you are missing teeth in only one area? One potential option is dental implants. Dental implants can be used in almost any area of the mouth to replace missing teeth. They can be placed singly, to replace one missing tooth, or in pairs that form a bridge, to replace a series of missing teeth.
Implants have been used for decades to help patients have strong healthy smiles. They have been proven to be safe, and can be beautiful and long lasting. The process of getting dental implants starts with having the implant placed. Once the implant is secure (a process which may involve healing time) a crown is placed on the implant. The crown is made of porcelain and supported by titanium. it is custom designed to look like a natural tooth, matching your existing teeth and smile. Once your crown is placed, it can be difficult for even a dentist to tell which tooth is false by looking at them!
Removable Partial Dentures
To restore a smile when teeth are missing, one possible option is a removable partial denture, often simply called a “partial”. A partial can replace one tooth or many teeth, depending on the needs of the patient. Partials are made primarily of acrylic that is colored to match a patient’s gums, with teeth that match the color and shape of a patient’s remaining teeth. A partial may have a metal substructure for strength, and it will usually have clasps that grip on to the edges of remaining teeth to secure it in place. Partials can be designed to be temporary, worn until implants or extractions have healed, or they can be more permanent, worn every day to replace teeth, and taken out at night to be cleaned and to allow the tissue underneath some rest. When worn, a partial will look much like natural teeth. A permanent partial can be worn when eating and will greatly help a patient with several missing teeth to chew better. Wearing a partial will also help to protect the remaining teeth because without anything to replace missing teeth, the remaining teeth have to do a lot more work than they were designed to do, and they often suffer, getting looser as they are overused. The teeth in a partial function like natural teeth for chewing and biting, and look like natural teeth for smiling!
Permanent Bridges
What can you do when you are missing one tooth? One potential option is to have a bridge placed. A permanent bridge involves placing crowns on the teeth on either side of the space, connecting them through a pontic (which is a tooth made of porcelain). The pontic is designed to look like it is growing right out of the gums, just like your other teeth. It is cemented into place on either side, and becomes a permanent replacement tooth that you can eat with, and you can be proud to show in your smile.
Implant Retained Permanent Bridges
What can you do when you are missing teeth in only one area? One potential option is dental implants. Dental implants can be used in almost any area of the mouth to replace missing teeth. They can be placed singly, to replace one missing tooth, or in pairs that form a bridge, to replace a series of missing teeth.
Implants have been used for decades to help patients have strong healthy smiles. They have been proven to be safe, and can be both beautiful and long lasting. The process of getting dental implants starts with having the implants placed. Once the implants are secure, a process which may involve healing time, a bridge is placed on the implants. The bridge is made of porcelain and is supported by titanium. It is custom designed to look like natural teeth in a row, matching your existing teeth and smile. Once your bridge is placed, it can be difficult for even a dentist to tell which teeth are implants by looking at them!
With our CEREC scanner, we can often take a digital scan rather than taking an impression like the video states, which will make the process easier and faster
Complete Dentures
A complete denture is an option for patients who are missing, or need to have extracted, all of the teeth in their maxilla, or mandible. A complete denture is custom made to fit each patient. They are usually made of acrylic and are specifically designed to match the color of the patient’s gums. The dentist and patient work together to choose the size, color, and shape of teeth to give the patient the smile that they desire. A custom designed denture can be both beautiful and natural looking!