Missing Teeth

Should a missing tooth be replaced?

Missing teeth make a smile statement, and unless you’re Mike Tyson or a hockey player, you may want to replace them. If you don’t replace missing teeth you may experience some unexpected problems.  If you lose a lower tooth, for instance, tooth from above will move down into the space in time. Bite changes can occur that cause chipped, broken or cracked teeth. Teeth can drift and create tooth gaps, food traps, speech problems, and uncontrollable spitting while speaking.

What happens if you don’t replace missing teeth?

If you lose multiple teeth, particularly back teeth, your facial features can collapse, causing wrinkles or creases in the skin. The back teeth maintain facial height, or vertical dimension, the distance between your nose and your chin. Back teeth are solidly anchored in bone, but without them, less stable front teeth spread apart and the distance between nose and chin closes down. 

What is the best option for replacing a missing tooth?

Dental implants are the best option for replacing missing teeth. Dental implants are titanium posts placed in bone to hold crowns, bridges and dentures that replace teeth. The next best option is a bridge connecting teeth beside the space of the missing tooth to hold a replacement tooth. Tooth bridges are bonded into place and made of very strong ceramic that has the beauty of natural tooth enamel.

When multiple teeth are missing, a removable partial denture can be an affordable solution too. Partial dentures hold replacement teeth on a metal framework designed to slide on and off of remaining teeth. Full dentures hold a complete set of teeth and depend on suction to stay in place. A full denture can be held in place with just two to four dental implants so you can confidently smile and chew. The best solution for replacing all upper or lower teeth, a hybrid denture, has a metal core anchored to dental implants.

Can I get a denture for one tooth?

Transitional appliances replace teeth at low cost, but temporarily. These appliances are for short term cosmetic fixes and not meant for biting or chewing. Snap-On Smile and Smile Transitions are acrylic appliances that cover remaining teeth as they hold replacements. A stay-plate or “flipper” is a thin denture with replacement teeth held by friction against the remaining teeth.

There are many solutions to missing teeth and Dr. Kriston can help you to find the best one for a  spectacular smile.