Healthy Smiles Dentistry Georgetown Georgetown Texas

Various cosmetic dental services can be used to replace missing teeth, restoring the appearance of your smile. Most people lose at least one of their teeth at some point in their life, and it needs to be replaced as soon as possible. Bone tissues in the jaw start to break down when they stop getting stimulated by teeth roots. Teeth roots come out with teeth, so people who fail to replace their missing teeth are vulnerable to bone tissue atrophy in their jaw.

Cosmetic dental services for missing teeth

Patients who are dealing with one or more missing teeth should know that there are cosmetic dental services that can be used to replace them.

1. Dental implants

Implants are highly recommended when it comes to replacing missing teeth. These restorations replace lost teeth roots, helping patients to avoid the bone tissue disintegration associated with missing teeth.

An implant is usually a titanium rod or screw that is surgically inserted into bone tissues in the jaw. The implant fuses with the bone tissues around it, becoming one with the patient’s jaw. This makes the implant virtually as stable as a natural tooth’s root. The bonding process is called osseointegration, and it can take up to six months to complete. Restorations like crowns, dentures, and bridges can be attached to the implant once it has fused with the jawbone.

Implants look and feel like natural teeth, and they do not require any lifestyle changes. Brushing and flossing are that all implants need to stay in excellent condition.

2. Dentures

Partial dentures are recommended when a patient has only lost a few teeth, while full denture sets (the most commonly used types of dentures) are recommended for those who have lost most of their teeth.

Replacing missing teeth with dentures is a non-invasive process that does not require any oral surgery. The dentist takes an impression of the patient’s mouth by asking them to bite down on a mold, and the mold is sent to a lab where dentures are made. The patient’s customized dentures should be ready in a couple of weeks. Dentures' most significant drawbacks are their poor stability and tiresome cleaning requirements, which include cleaning and soaking the restoration daily.

3. Dental bridges

Dental bridges close up the spaces left by missing teeth. They are fixed restorations that are typically anchored on the two teeth closest to the gap. These teeth (abutments) are usually covered with crowns to provide more stability for the artificial teeth that will be attached to them.

Placing crowns on the abutments requires removing enamel from its sides. There is no way to reverse that in the future.