There are generally only two ways you will lose a tooth: Either from a professional extraction, or from an accident. If you encounter the latter, did you know that it’s possible to have the tooth put back in? Always make sure to save the tooth, either by placing it gently back into your mouth or in a tissue covered with whole milk or a saline solution. It’s recommended that you don’t clean it off or disinfect it but rather take it quickly to a dentist. As long as the vital tissue is preserved and the nerves are protected, you may be able to have it reinserted. If you lose a single tooth completely, there still are a number of options that can help deal with the space that’s left over. Depending on your unique situation, you may be a suitable candidate for one of the following options.
If the teeth on either side of the gap are of adequate health and strength, you may be a candidate for a fixed bridge. In order to create the structure, the teeth on either side are reduced in size to remove the enamel and to make a secure post from which the bridge can attach. The benefit to this procedure is that the effect appears seamless and is semi-permanent in nature, lasting up to 12 years. There is, however, some risk to the reshaped teeth, as they have to be altered for this procedure. Weakened teeth are susceptible to dental disease and nerve trauma that can lead to root canal treatments. Another option may be a removable partial or full denture system.
Implants are essentially a replacement for your tooth that imitate the original in terms of root stability and support for the jawbone. The surrounding teeth hardly need to be altered in any way, which means that the impact of a “false” tooth is greatly reduced to adjacent teeth. An artificial root is created out of titanium metal and inserted into the root end of the missing tooth. This acts as an anchor for the replacement. The benefits to this system are that implants act like natural teeth in that you can clean and floss them in exactly the same way you would with a normal tooth. Despite their larger initial cost, you may not require any further maintenance, thereby reducing long-term costs that occur with other systems.
The reasons for ensuring that a lost tooth is dealt with quickly are more than cosmetic. When a space is created, a number of things start happening almost immediately to your mouth. Without the stimulation of the tooth on the jaw, the bones that once supported that tooth begin to shrink in a process called “resorption.” Over time, the bone will lose both height and width, which can affect the surrounding area. Neighboring teeth can drift and migrate when an adjacent tooth is lost; their natural tendency is to drift toward the opposing jaw and toward the front of the mouth unless they are blocked. All in all, it can become extremely costly to deal with a lost tooth and the space that it has created.
For more information contact us at our dental implant Fort Belvoir office to set up an appointment. And to receive ongoing advice and information direct to your inbox, sign up for our company newsletter. If you’re interested in dental implants, know that, generally, if you’re in good health, have healthy gums and have enough bone in your jaw to hold an implant, you can be a suitable candidate. Remember that regardless of the method you choose, it’s extremely important to have the procedure taken care of quickly before bone loss or drifting occurs leading to far more devastating dental issues down the road.
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