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If you have lost a tooth, or several, then you understand the major impacts tooth loss can have on your smile and your overall quality of life. To help address these unsightly gaps in your smile, we could secure replacement teeth with prosthetic dentistry. In today’s blog, your Grand Prairie, TX, dentist talks about securing a full smile with our dental prosthetics.
Why do some of us lose our natural teeth? As we grow older, the risk of tooth loss increases. Some could lose them due to untreated cavities or infection. An injury to the face or jaw could also be a factor. The most common cause is actual periodontitis, the advanced stage of gum disease that severs the tissues connecting your teeth and gums.
What happens to your smile when you lose your natural teeth? Tooth loss could leave behind gaps that allow surrounding teeth to drift from position, which alters the balance of your bite and causes misalignment. Not only does this change the appearance of your smile, but this can increase the risk of serious complications, such as tooth decay or gum disease. There could be pressure on your jaw joints, which leads to the elevated risk of TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding). Missing teeth could also alter how you eat, limiting meal options and nutritional intake. You could also have issues speaking clearly or even feel embarrassed in social situations. Finally, the body will stop sending doses of key nutrients to the jaw around the missing roots. The areas then weaken and erode, which cause further tooth loss and an older appearance. Fortunately, we can help with a dental prosthetic!
To begin, we want to take a close look at your smile with digital x-rays and intraoral camera systems. We can assess the cause and severity of your tooth loss, so we can choose the most appropriate treatment option. Every smile is unique, so we always take a personalized approach to tooth replacement. We want your new tooth or teeth to look natural and blend with your smile, while also being able to absorb daily bite forces and pressures with ease.
For minor tooth loss, we could offer a non-surgical option with a dental bridge. The prosthetic can address a single missing tooth or as many as four in a row. Our team will numb the teeth on each side of the gap and then remove structure from them. Once we do, we will take detailed digital images of them from multiple angles, using them to design the bridge. The prosthetic will contain new teeth with crowns attached to each end. We then connect the crown portions to the abutment teeth to secure your new ones in place. You now have new teeth that can stay in place for up to 15 years in some cases!
If you have more severe cases of misalignment, then we may recommend a set of removable dentures. For people with multiple gaps spread out across the smile, we could offer a partial denture, which has new teeth designed to fit in these gaps secured in an acrylic base that looks like gum tissues. There are also metal clasps that attach to natural teeth to secure your new denture in place. If you have lost most or all of your teeth, we could create a set of dentures with a complete row of new teeth, which will be held in place with suction or adhesives.
Our team can also secure dental implants. These are biocompatible titanium posts that are inserted into the jawbone, where they act like new roots and stimulate jawbone growth to ensure your smile stays intact and your new teeth can last for decades to come. We could also place several posts to secure a bridge or even a fixed set of dentures, which last longer than their traditional counterparts.
If you have any questions about our approach to prosthetic dentistry, or if you want to see if and take on your missing teeth, then contact our team today to get started. We want to help you enjoy a full smile again, so talk to us soon!
If you have one or more missing teeth, we have solutions with prosthetic dentistry. When you are ready to schedule your appointment with our office, contact Pecan Tree Dental in Grand Prairie, TX at 972-262-5111.
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