Many people have lost one or more teeth due to injury or oral disease. If you are missing one or more teeth, you may want to consider tooth replacement in the form of dental implants, dental bridges or dentures. Even if the missing tooth or teeth do not affect chewing and speaking, the loss of a nice smile may be upsetting your self-esteem. Furthermore, when there is a gap, over time your other teeth will shift, which will likely result in more problems later.
Dental implants and bridges are options for when there are still good, healthy teeth and a healthy jawbone to handle the procedure. Bridges come in both removable and implant versions. There are a few different choices for materials for bridges, including gold, alloys and porcelain.
If you have lost all or most of your teeth, dentures may be the best, and perhaps even the only, option remaining. Dentures come in two versions – complete dentures and over dentures, also referred to as partial dentures. Complete dentures are the best option when there are no teeth remaining, or if those you have should be removed. Partial dentures are removable dentures that are used when you are able to keep some of your own teeth.
The best way to learn about your tooth replacement options, including dentures, is to schedule an appointment with us at Northside Family Dental in Lakeland, FL. We are more than happy to discuss the advantages of each type of tooth replacement and perform a consultation to let you know which options are possible for your situation.