Should You Choose an Implant or a Bridge?
There are good reasons for replacing missing teeth. Not only will tooth-restoration improve your appearance and help you to look younger, it can also improve your ability to eat and speak. Additionally, empty spaces in your smile give plaque and bacteria extra places to accumulate, which can lead to gum disease and tooth loss. If you’ve ever wondered if you should replace a tooth with an implant or a bridge, the following information might help. Implants are very popular, since they sit directly in your jawbone, and do not need to be removed to be cleaned. They are also very sturdy, long-lasting and natural-looking. Be that as it may, not everyone is a good candidate for implants. If your gums are not healthy, or if you do not have enough bone in your jaw to support the implant, your dentist may suggest another restoration option. Certain medications and medical conditions, including pregnancy, may mean that implants are not for you. In that case, the dentist may suggest a dental bridge. A bridge is an effective way to replace missing teeth. It also does not require the surgery needed for implants. To place a bridge, the dentist will remove the enamel from the tooth on each end of the gap. These teeth will receive crowns and will serve as the anchors for the bridge. The dentist will take an impression of the teeth and the gap, fit you with temporary crowns and a bridge, and send the impression to a dental lab. There, a technician will create your permanent bridge. When it is ready, the dentist will remove the temporary bridgework and cement the new crowns and bridge in place. If you are missing one or more teeth, you should talk to Dr. Latino about your restoration options, including an implant or a bridge. If you need implants or a crown, Dr. Latino and the staff at Chad Latino DDS can help you find the right solution for you. Contact us to schedule an appointment.
A Bridge Is One Effective Way to Replace a Knocked Out Tooth
Each of the teeth in your mouth are anchored into their sockets by strong periodontal ligaments. These ligaments are meant to hold each tooth in place for daily activities like biting off, chewing and grinding foods. There are other times when something like a hard fall or a blow to the face hits with such force that it can knock one or more of your teeth out. Most of the time when a tooth is knocked out, it is also severely fractured and some of it remains in the socket. When this happens the tooth is effectively dead. Dr. [doctor_name]’s only course of treatment is to extract the remnants and allow the gums to heal. He can then help you understand your options for replacing the tooth. One of the most common methods is to simply install a bridge. This is essentially an artificial tooth fused to a pair of crowns on each end. It is anchored on abutments formed from the neighboring teeth. To create these abutments, Dr. [doctor_name] uses a drill to remove most of the enamel from each tooth. This leaves behind a post-like core of dentin surrounding the healthy pulp and root of each tooth. Then, [heshe] will form an impression of the abutments as well as the void and your personal bite pattern. This will be sent to a dental lab where your new bridge is made. At the end of the appointment temporary crowns are cemented over each abutment to protect them. When your permanent bridge is ready Dr. [doctor_name] will call you back in for a brief follow up appointment. The temporary crowns will be removed and [heshe] will cement your new bridge onto the abutments. If you’ve just had a tooth knocked out, you should not delay in calling Dr. [doctor_name]’s [city], [state] office at [phone] for immediate treatment.
