When you were little and you lost your baby teeth, you got so excited! But now that you’ve lost a permanent tooth, you’re just concerned. This gap obviously impacts your smile’s aesthetic appearance, but much more than appearance is at stake. You need to replace it, but what are your options? Which one will help you the most? In this post, you’ll learn about two methods of restoring lost teeth—dental implants and dental bridges in Schenectady—and situations when you could benefit from them.
Missing One Tooth
Did you know that missing just a single tooth can have a huge impact on your oral health? In addition to losing a tooth to chew with, potentially affecting your digestion and nutrition, your jaw bone loses stimulation and begins to deteriorate. This can weaken the support it gives to the other teeth and can cause your facial structure to sag and appear older. To overcome these negative outcomes, here are your two options for replacing this lost tooth.
Dental Bridge
A dental bridge is an oral appliance that can be used for a missing tooth that is surrounded by two healthy teeth. After preparing these teeth through enamel removal, your dentist places the bridge, which has two dental crowns with a dental prosthetic in the middle, and bonds it to the anchoring teeth, keeping the bridge firmly in place. Dental bridges enable you to regain most of your biting force, restoring your ability to eat the nutritious foods you need, and they look completely natural for a seamless smile.
Dental Implant
Unlike a dental bridge, which only replaces the top portion of a missing tooth, a dental implant mimics and addresses the entire tooth structure, starting with the root. These surgically placed posts become integrated with the jaw bone, keeping it stimulated and strong. Then the implant is topped off with a dental crown. Because of this setup, this option has the following advantages over a dental bridge:
- It feels completely natural. The firm post allows you to retain the biting force you had before.
- It can last for many years. In fact, with proper care, dental implants can last more than 30 years!
- It promotes oral health. In addition to a strong jaw bone, dental implants do not affect your remaining healthy teeth.
Missing Multiple Teeth
But what if you’re missing two or more consecutive teeth? Which choice can help you? Well, you can actually combine these two replacement options together for an implant-retained bridge. Instead of anchoring to natural teeth, the bridge can be attached to two dental implants. This secure solution provides all the benefits of dental implants with the aesthetics of the dental bridge.
In the end, your teeth do much more than just look pretty. Your smile and oral function are worth restoring and doing it well through dental implants and implant-retained bridges. To discuss your tooth replacement options, contact your dentist for a consultation and get on the path toward oral health today!
About the Practice
At Capital Smiles, Dr. Erin Page have decades of dental experience and brings unique skills to patients in Schenectady. Dr. Page is a member of the American Academy of Facial Aesthetics and completed her general practice residency at Upstate Medical University at Syracuse in 2010. To make an appointment with them, call (518) 374-0317 or click here.