Losing your natural teeth can happen for a multitude of reasons, and lack of attention could allow your oral health and quality of life to suffer. But we can help address missing teeth with dental prosthetics, such as bridges and dentures. In today’s blog, your Lake Orion, MI, dentist talks about how we replace missing teeth.
The Causes of Tooth Loss
The causes of your missing teeth could vary. For some, minor tooth loss could be due to untreated cavities or dental infections, which causes teeth to be lost or requires extraction to prevent the spread of infection. Missing teeth could also develop due to injuries to the face or jaw. The more common cause of advanced tooth loss is periodontitis, the advanced stage of gum disease that destroys the connective tissues between your teeth and gums to cause missing teeth. When we look at your smile to decide on the best course of action, we will assess the cause of your tooth loss, as we may need to manage issues like gum disease!
How Missing Teeth Impact Your Smile
What happens to your smile following tooth loss? For some, this could limit meal options and deprive them of essential nutrients, so overall health suffers. Advanced tooth loss could mean trouble with clear speech, so people have issues speaking clearly and may avoid social interactions, which further harms their overall quality of life. As the jaw weakens due to the missing roots, this could lead to further tooth loss and an older appearance. You could also be more vulnerable to complications like TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding).
Planning Replacement
You don’t have to live with tooth loss, even if you are missing most or all of your teeth, or if years have elapsed since you lost natural teeth. Schedule an appointment with our team. We offer dental prosthetics created from holistic and metal-free materials, and can offer new smiles that look natural and last for years to come. We will take a close look at your bite with detailed digital x-rays and intraoral cameras, so we can identify the cause of your tooth loss and obtain images and measurements that allow us to plan custom prosthetics in detail.
Dental Bridges
If you have minor tooth loss, such as a single missing tooth or up to three in a row, then our team could offer help with a metal-free dental bridge, made from comfortable and lifelike ceramic. The prosthetic will contain new teeth, referred to as pontics, with crowns on either end. Made from ceramic, we shade this to blend with your smile. We attach the crown portions to the abutment teeth on each side of the gap, which secures your new ones firmly in place. A bridge can stay in place for up to 15 years with proper care and attention.
Partial Dentures
If you have multiple small gaps spread out across your smile, this could be too complex to handle with a bridge, but you could have enough natural teeth that a full set of dentures would be overkill. In these scenarios, we could create a partial denture, which contains new teeth set in acrylic base, and held in place with metal clasps that attach to natural teeth. The partials will be lifelike in appearance and last about 5 to 10 years on average. Removable, you can soak and clean them to keep them pliable and strong.
A Full Set of New Teeth
What if you are missing most or all of your natural teeth? If this happens, then we could create a custom set of dentures, with a full row of new teeth set in an acrylic base that looks like gum tissue. Suction or adhesives will, keeping your full set of new teeth in place, so that you can smile with confidence and enjoy your favorite foods again. We will discuss how to soak and clean them to keep your dentures strong for years to come.
Dental Implants
For some, we could offer dental implants, which act as new tooth roots to keep your jaw intact and allow your new tooth or implant-secured prosthetic to stay in place for decades to come. If you have any questions about how we treat lost teeth and offer complete smiles again, then contact our office to learn more and get started.
Enjoy Prosthetic Dentistry With Lake Orion Family Dentistry
For a full smile following tooth loss, see our team about prosthetic dentistry. To find out more about our tooth replacement options, or to schedule an appointment, call Lake Orion Family Dentistry in Lake Orion, MI at (248)693-6213.
