Many people lose a tooth during their lifetime, and we’re not talking about baby teeth. Tooth loss as an adult can occur when a tooth gets knocked out during a sporting event, one becomes infected or diseased beyond repair or poor oral hygiene leads teeth to become loose and drop out.

If you’ve lost a tooth, you may wonder how to replace it. We’ve gathered this roundup of best tooth replacement options to give you an idea of what possibilities there are for fixing your missing or damaged tooth.

Dental Implants

Though this option costs more than most other teeth replacements, it has a high success rate and looks the most like a real tooth. Getting an implant requires removing the old tooth and implanting a post where the old tooth’s roots had been.

After the implant has been capped, you can get a crown, veneer or dental bridge placed on top. People won’t even know the tooth is fake, and you’ll get a sturdy, stable replacement option. Plus, with an implant, you guard against jawbone loss that can occur with other tooth replacements.

Tooth-Supported Fixed Bridge

Implants are effective but take months for treatment. A faster option is adding a bridge to replace your missing tooth. The bridge can be fitted over your existing teeth.

The bridge contains two crowns that go over the teeth on either side of the area with the missing tooth. It will also contain a replica of your missing tooth. When the dentist puts it in your mouth and affixes it to the existing teeth, you’ll get a strong and comfortable fit. The dentist will cement the bridge into place, and it will feel a lot like your original tooth.

You won’t undertake any additional maintenance for the bridge beyond brushing and flossing. You can also get replacement bridges made fairly quickly if they break.

Removable Partial Dentures

You can get sets of full or partial dentures. If you’ve only lost one tooth, partial dentures are the answer. The new teeth sit on an acrylic base, and the piece gets held in place with metal clamps that fit over existing teeth. One bonus to getting partial dentures is that if you lose another tooth, you can have it added on — there’s no need to replace the dentures entirely.

Resin-Bonded Bridge

If you’re missing front teeth, this option could be the one for you. A replacement tooth is placed between two healthy teeth. Then, a small bridge is connected between the replacement tooth and each of the abutting teeth. It essentially looks from behind as though the three teeth are attached.

This procedure does require removal of some tooth enamel on the abutting teeth. Your dentist will have to shape them to work perfectly with the new tooth. The abutting teeth have to be a bit rough to bond effectively with the attachment.

Ready to explore the tooth replacement options available at our office? Contact Dental Choice today to set up an appointment.

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