Missing A Tooth? Know Why A Dental Implant Is The Best Option
If you're missing a tooth, your dentist will likely present you with four options to pick from. By understanding what those are and the problems that can come from them, you may realize that a dental implant is the best option for you.
Option 1: Do Nothing
You always have the option to do nothing. You'll have an unsightly gap between your teeth and over time can have issues with bone loss in that area of your jaw. The teeth that surround the gap can also shift, causing your smile to be misaligned and causing problems when you want to use another option to deal with your missing tooth.
Option 2: Partial Denture
Partial dentures will do a great job at fixing the tooth from a cosmetic standpoint, but it will not give the jawbone the stimulation it needs to stay level. A partial denture is also a dental appliance that must be removed every single night before you go to bed. It will help prevent the teeth from shifting if worn regularly, but it also depends on you to use the partial denture and not leave it out most days.
Option 3: Dental Bridge
While a dental bridge was once a great option to replace a missing tooth, it now may be seen as an option that is less than ideal. This is because it requires that crowns are placed on the surrounding teeth in order to support the artificial tooth. These teeth must be healthy as well, which means that you are crowning teeth that do not need a crown. If you ever were to have problems with those crowned teeth down the road, it can destroy the dental bridge and require you to use another replacement option. The dental bridge also does not supply jawbone stimulation, which can lead to bone loss.
Option 4: Dental Implant
You'll discover that the dental implant is often the best option to replace a tooth since it's a stand-alone crown that fits perfectly in the gap you are trying to fix. It provides jawbone stimulation, which should keep the jaw level over time and maintain healthy surrounding teeth. It also does not put any strain on those surrounding teeth. While a dental implant is the most costly of these four methods, it can provide you with the best quality results for your teeth over time.
Meet with a dentist for more information on having a dental implant installed for your missing tooth.
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