Having missing teeth can make you feel self-conscious and can be a blow to your self-esteem. If your smile suffers from holes, there are solutions. Not only are there several ways to correct the problem, there are many good reasons to choose a tooth replacement procedure. Tooth Replacement When you lose teeth from your jaw, other problems can arise. One such issue is drifting. When this happens, the neighboring teeth surrounding the hole move into the area. They begin to lean in and the top ones come down. This drifting can compromise the gum line and make you more prone to periodontal diseases. In addition to drifting, you can suffer from bone loss. When you lose teeth, the bone that supports them begins to shrink. It is a natural process called resorption. The bone almost immediately begins to change. If you do not replace what is missing, you will lose both width and height of the jawbone in that area. Resorption is worse when you lose multiple dentitions in an area without a tooth replacement procedure. This is the number one cause for dentures not fitting as well as they should. Types of Tooth Replacement Procedures For some, the loss of one or two can be corrected with a fixed bridge. In order to be able to have this procedure, the surrounding dentition must be adequate in number and sufficiently healthy to help support the bridge. To begin with, the bridge has to be fabricated. The area has to be cut down in order to make room for a prosthetic tooth. Once this is completed, the prosthetic will be suspended. The bridge requires the neighboring teeth to be reduced, which increases the risk that they will need root canals or even suffer from possible nerve damage. Once in place, however, the bridge will last from 10 to 12 years before replacement is required. Another option is dentures. Partial dentures can help replace a single tooth or several. While these also require the support of the surrounding ones, there is no significant preparation. Of course, if there are many missing, you may opt to get a full set of lower or upper dentures instead of a partial set. Finally, there is the implant. This type of tooth replacement takes place by implanting a base into the bone. This helps protect the jaw from bone loss and the gums from receding around the remaining dentition. The base gets a realistic looking prosthetic. This method may be more desirable than a bridge because the surrounding teeth are not affected by the implant. They are also easier to keep clean and can be more aesthetically pleasing. When considering tooth replacement, Peria, IL residents visit Secure Dental. Learn more at http://www.secure-dental.com/dental_implants/.
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