It used to be that people dealing with tooth loss didn’t have that many treatment options. Now, however, our Saint Louis dentists are able to use a range of restorative treatments, sometimes in combination, in order to deliver results. Keep reading to learn a little about traditional treatments, as well as state-of-the-art dental implant technology!
- Bridges: bridges sit on top of the gum tissue, and are held in place with small brackets that are attached to adjacent teeth. They can be made to replace any number of missing teeth.
- Dentures: dentures also sit on top of the gum tissue. However, the base of a denture—either an upper or lower one—is molded to fit over the patient’s unique gum and jawbone tissue. Patients can additionally use specially formulated adhesive to give them extra stability.
Thanks to state-of-the-art dental implant technology, you now have more options than conventional bridges and dentures. Dental implants are different from bridges and dentures in that they have replacement tooth roots as well as visible crowns.
- Full-sized implants: these are used to replace individual missing teeth. We will first place the titanium root into the empty spot along your gum and jaw line. Over time, the titanium will bond with your real bone tissue, ensuring a stable, permanent fit. On top of this root we attach an abutment, and then custom-crafted restoration. What you end up with is as close to a new natural tooth as is possible with modern technology.
- Mini dental implants: because they are thinner than traditional titanium implant roots, mini implant roots are often used to permanently hold larger dental prosthetics in place. For example, both upper and lower dentures generally require only three or four mini-implant roots to become permanently affixed.
As you can see, there are a number of effective and patient-friendly tooth replacement treatments available to you. If you are living with tooth loss, now is the time to reach out to our Saint Louis dental implant dentists!