What Are the Best Options to Replace Missing Teeth?
If you’ve been researching treatment options for missing teeth, you’ve likely found that there is a lot of conflicting advice. Because every person’s situation is different, it’s difficult to offer any sort of generalized advice. For example, do you have one missing tooth or multiple? Is there any damage to your surrounding teeth? Have any previous measures failed?
No two situations are the same and, for that reason, every treatment plan must be unique.
But, before we cover the different ways to address multiple missing teeth, it’s important that we discuss how they can impact your oral health, your general health, and even your mental health.
Understand the Impact of Missing Teeth
Most people don’t realize that missing or damaged teeth can have far-reaching effects on their overall health. A single tooth – even a back tooth – isn’t an isolated piece of the body. In fact, it’s deeply integrated into your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Bone Loss
Pressure caused by chewing helps to strengthen the jawbone. Without this stimulation, the bone can begin to atrophy. As a result of jawbone deterioration, it’s not uncommon to experience jaw pain, bone loss, wrinkles around the mouth, and alterations to facial structure.
Misalignment
When you have a missing tooth, nearby teeth often shift to fill the gap. This shifting often causes misalignment, which can change your bite, make it difficult to chew, cause damage to your remaining teeth, and even result in headaches and migraines.
Gum Recession
If your jawbone begins to deteriorate, it’s only a matter of time before your gums begin to recede. Receding gums often lead to gum disease, which can cause bleeding gums, bad breath, sensitive teeth, and – ultimately – tooth loss.
General Health Risks
Once periodontal disease sets in, it elevates other risks to your health, including diabetes, heart disease, respiratory illness, and cancer. In fact, studies have also shown that gum disease can affect your likelihood to develop both dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Decreased Confidence
Of course, if you have multiple teeth that are missing, it can impact your self-esteem. After their teeth are replaced, many patients report an overall increase in happiness and higher levels of confidence in their appearance.
Different Options for Different Issues
When replacing teeth, you should know all of the options available to you. If you need to replace a single tooth, you likely have more options than if you need to replace several teeth.
If you have otherwise good oral health, you may be a candidate for certain treatments. But, if you have widespread issues, you may need a more restrictive, in-depth tooth replacement option.
Depending on your situation, your dentist should develop a treatment plan that addresses all of your concerns, puts you at ease, and accurately imitates the beauty of your natural teeth. So, before you make any decisions, you’ll want to assess the extent of the damage to your existing teeth.
A Single Missing Tooth
If you only have a single tooth missing, it’s important to address it before adjacent teeth are affected. But, since the damage is minimal, you have several options. First, you could receive a single dental implant, which would be fixed to your jaw and help to preserve the bone. This implant could be visually matched to your natural teeth, ensuring a seamless, natural look.
Other options include fixed bridges and removable partial dentures. As less permanent options, these don’t offer the same long-term benefits as implants. While bridges and dentures fill the gap between your natural teeth, they aren’t affixed to your jaw, which means they don’t help to prevent the loss of bone. However, they’re often less expensive, with fixed bridges costing roughly half as much as dental implants.
Adjacent Missing Teeth
When you have multiple teeth missing in a row, your options are a little more limited. For the most part, you’ll want to consider dental implant services or an implant-supported bridge. Once again, dental implants will offer the best long-term solution, as they’re intended to be a permanent solution to tooth loss.
On the other hand, an implant-supported bridge is less expensive and does offer a similar, natural appearance. However, this lowered cost comes with a drawback: they’re not considered a permanent solution. In general, an implant-supported can be expected to last 5 to 15 years, whereas dental implants can last 30 years or more.
Non-Adjacent Missing Teeth
With multiple non-adjacent teeth missing, your options are even more restricted. If the number of lost teeth is minimal and your oral hygiene is good, individual dental implants may be your best option. But, if the number of teeth missing is high and additional teeth have suffered due to the loss, you’re a good candidate for full-mouth dental implants.
With full-mouth dental implants, you’ll have your natural teeth extracted and titanium posts will be affixed to your jaw. These posts will support full rows of artificial teeth that are engineered to last a lifetime. Implants of this type are durable, long-lasting, and the absolute best way to preserve your long-term health.
Restore Your Smile With Dental Implants
If you’re aiming to replace missing teeth and restore your smile, dental implants are your best option. Designed to last decades, they are the only long-term solution that helps to preserve your bone structure, facial features, and overall health.
To learn more about this option, we encourage you to read our previous blog covering the benefits of dental implant services.
Regain the Confidence of Natural Teeth
At West Wind Dental, we know that replacing missing teeth can be a scary experience. Because of this, we pride ourselves on offering high-quality, compassionate dental implant treatment in Kalamazoo. With years of experience and hundreds of satisfied customers, we’re the area’s go-to source for full-mouth, All-on-4 dental implants.
So, if you’re concerned about your teeth, we encourage you to schedule an appointment with us, visit our office, and let us walk you through your options. Please, don’t hesitate to reach out to us today to discuss your situation with our team.
Dr. Andrew Hamilton, DDS, FAGD
Dr. Hamilton is an active member of several professional organizations including the American Dental Association (ADA), the Michigan Dental Association (MDA), the Kalamazoo Valley District Dental Society (KVDDS), the American Academy of Implant dentistry (AAID), the International Academy of Facial Aesthetics (IAFA) and also attends courses with the Pikos Institute in Northwest Florida. He is a member of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists (ICIO), has achieved fellowship status in the International Dental Implant Association (IDIA) and in the Academy of General Dentistry (FAGD), has graduated from and is an alumnus of the Kois Center program in Seattle, and is on the faculty of the Global Dental Implant Academy (GDIA).
The little spare time left over is spent Steelhead and Salmon fishing and the occasional round of golf.
