When you lose most of your teeth or have multiple gaps in your smile, then a dental bridge may not be the best option for you. Instead, you may need a set of full or partial dentures. In today’s blog, your Kansas City, MO, dentist talks about how we address advanced tooth loss with removable and implant dentures!
The Risks Associated With Advanced Tooth Loss
When you lose a significant number of your natural teeth, this can limit your meal options and deprive you not only of your favorite dishes, but essential nutrients as well! Missing teeth could also limit your speech capabilities and cause embarrassment in social situations. You could also develop a higher risk of complications like misalignment, TMJ disorder, and bruxism (teeth grinding). You could also develop an older appearance too, as the body will stop sending certain nutrients to the jaw around the missing roots, which causes the jawbone to break down, so you lose additional teeth and gain a prematurely aged appearance.
Designing Your Prosthetic
Our team will start by carefully examining your smile. If you have several gaps but still retain a significant number of natural teeth, then we may recommend a partial, which is a prosthetic that contains teeth that can fit in these gaps. If you have lost most of your teeth, we may extract the last few in preparation for full denture placement. The prosthetic is designed based on detailed digital images we take of your smile from multiple angles. We want a comfortable fit and a lifelike appearance, so you can smile with confidence and enjoy your favorite meals again!
Removable and Implant Dentures
Removable partial dentures are held in place with metal clasps that attach to natural teeth, and removable fulls need suction or adhesives to remain in place. These are effective, but require replacement every 5 to 10 years as the jaw ridge changes shape. However, we could also insert multiple dental implants into the jaw, and then attach the denture to these. The dental implants then stimulate the growth of jawbone structure to ensure your new teeth can remain in place for decades to come, possibly even a lifetime! Our team can help you decide which option is best for your smile.
If you have any questions about how we address severe tooth loss with our custom and lifelike prosthetics, then contact our team today so we can begin tackling your tooth loss. Obtain a full and beautiful smile this summer!
DO YOU NEED CUSTOM DENTAL PROSTHETICS?
If you want to address your missing teeth, or would like to learn more about our fixed prosthetic options, call Delightful Dental Care in Kansas City, MO, today at (816)942-7669.