07 Nov 16 - 12:24 PM

Types of Tooth Replacement

Replacing missing teeth isn’t just about improving your smile, confidence and appearance.

Missing teeth can pose a health risk and a missing tooth can impact on your surrounding teeth as well.

Having a missing tooth can affect your ability to chew food, alter your appearance and change your bite.

Missing or damaged teeth should be replaced for good oral health.

A cosmetic dentist can advise you on the most appropriate cosmetic dentistry procedure to provide the best oral health and aesthetic outcomes.

Depending on your needs, the alternatives available to a cosmetic dentist to help when you have lost a tooth include -

Single Tooth Replacement

The best option in these circumstances is generally a dental implant which is affixed into your jaw and once affixed it supports a crown.  The implant is effectively the tooth’s root and the crown the tooth.

Dental implants are long lasting, natural in appearance and often require no specific maintenance other than good oral hygiene routines.

A dental implant is the go to solution for cosmetic dentists in this situation.

In certain circumstances a bridge can be constructed that attaches to adjacent teeth, however this is less conservative and will require more frequent replacement. (Review Single Tooth Gallery)

Replacing multiple teeth

In these situations a cosmetic dentist may also recommend a standard bridge. The more missing teeth though, the riskier this treatment is as the bridge will rely on the adjacent teeth to do more work.

An implant bridge does exactly what any other form of bridge does except doesn’t rely on teeth to support it.  A dental implant is inserted into the jaw and it supports multiple crowns which fill the space where the missing teeth were.

There are many types of dental bridge:

1. Tooth supported Fixed bridge – this involves two crowns and a false tooth, the crowns are attached over the teeth on either side of the gap which is filled by the false tooth.
2. Bonded bridge – In this procedure the cosmetic dentist attaches porcelain ‘wings’  to bond the bridge structure to the surrounding teeth.  In this procedure crowns are not used and because there are no adjacent teeth a cantilever form of bridge is used. It is more conservative but also more likely to fail or come out.
3. Dental Implant bridge – The missing teeth are replaced with implants that support their own crown as well as the missing teeth. It is not necessary to have one implant per tooth to be replaced, as implants are very strong supports and sometimes as little as 4 implants can support a whole set of teeth.

In both single and multiple teeth replacement instances the dental implant structure is strong and long lasting. (Review Multiple Tooth Gallery)

Full mouth replacement

Once again dental implants are the key.

Multiple implants are attached to both upper and lower jaws and a full bridge is attached to provide a complete set of new teeth.

Because this is a larger more complicated cosmetic dentistry procedure some preparatory work would be required. An individual assessment and treatment plan would need to be formulated. This may require sinus augmentation or bone grafts, however with modern dental implant treatment we have solutions that are faster and simpler than years previously.  Your cosmetic dentist will advise what is right for you in your individual circumstances.

Once again a great long lasting result can be achieved.

As always if you are considering cosmetic dental surgery a cosmetic dental surgeon will be able to guide you on the right dental implant for your needs.  You will be advised of your options and the right procedure for your needs.

If you are looking for cosmetic dental surgery in Sydney please call Southside Implant Centre on 9525 7725, Click to enquire on Tooth replacement Costs or view our completed Dental Implant galley.

Being fully informed makes you fully empowered to make the right decision.