When you suffer from minor tooth loss, this could leave behind embarrassing gaps in your smile. Over time, this impacts many facets of your social life and overall oral health! In today’s blog, your Kansas City, MO, dentist talks about how we help smiles with traditional bridges and even options secured with dental implants.
Taking On Your Tooth Loss
Losing even one tooth could lead to a cascade of problems for your smile. When you have an open gap, the nearby teeth tend to drift, creating misalignment. Poor alignment not only changes how your smile looks, but increases the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Missing teeth also leads to strain on your bite that could cause painful issues like TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding). If you have a larger gap of two to three missing teeth in a row, this could impact your meal selections and how you speak, and could lead to issues with confidence. But we can help fill the empty space with a custom and lifelike dental bridge!
Traditional Dental Bridges
For a traditional dental bridge, we will need to numb the abutment teeth on each side of the space in your smile, so we can comfortably remove structure from them. Next, we take detailed images of the prepared teeth and the empty space with digital imaging, using the images we gather to aid in designing and creating your new prosthetic. The prosthetic will contain one to three new teeth, depending on the gap size, with crowns on each end. These crowns are fixed to the abutment teeth to keep your new ones in place. Made from ceramic, the bridge will be able to handle daily bite forces and is shaded to ensure a natural appearance.
Securing Them With Dental Implants
We could also offer an option secured with dental implants. With this option, we do not need to remove structure from abutment teeth, instead we will insert one to two dental implants into the jaw, where they act as new roots and support the crown portion of your prosthetic. Since the implants help keep the jawbone intact following tooth loss, this ensures your new teeth can stay in place longer, decades as opposed to 10 to 15 years. Our team can help you decide which option is best for you. If you have any questions about how we tackle tooth loss with a traditional bridge or one supported with dental implants, then contact our team today to learn more and start your treatment journey!
Schedule a Visit For Tooth Replacement
We want to help you smile with confidence by addressing your missing teeth. To find out more about our tooth replacement options, or to schedule your visit, call Delightful Dental Care in Kansas City, MO at (816) 942-7669 today.