What Are the Different Options for Tooth Replacement?
Missing teeth can significantly impact your oral health, smile confidence, and ability to chew comfortably. Fortunately, modern dentistry offers a variety of tooth replacement solutions to address your specific needs and preferences. Here's a glimpse at the main options available:
- Dental Implants: Widely considered the gold standard, implants are small titanium posts surgically placed in the jawbone to act as artificial tooth roots. A custom-made crown is then attached to the implant, providing a natural-looking and highly functional replacement tooth. Implants offer excellent stability and durability, promoting jawbone health and preventing bone loss in the area of the missing tooth.
- Dental Bridges: Bridges offer a fixed solution for replacing one or a few missing teeth. They consist of artificial teeth (pontics) suspended between crowns placed on healthy teeth on either side of the gap. Bridges provide a secure and aesthetically pleasing restoration, restoring your ability to chew and speak clearly. However, unlike implants, bridges require altering healthy teeth to support the restoration, and they don't address bone resorption in the jaw.
