Best Replacements for Missing Teeth
If you have some missing teeth, you may not be smiling very much. There are a number of options for replacing those teeth. Here are a few to think about.
Crowns and Bridges
Many people have a crown put on a tooth that is broken or that has had some decay. The dentist will use a handheld device that uses dental o-rings and gaskets to prepare the surface of the existing part of the tooth and then bond the tooth-shaped material to it.
A crown may be connected to the teeth on either side of it. This is usually called a bridge. There may be three crowns in a row, with two of them attached to teeth and the middle one attached to the other crowns.
Crowns can be made of dental resin, metal or porcelain. Most dentists and patients opt for porcelain for teeth replacements in the front of the mouth because the porcelain looks more like a natural tooth. Metal is more commonly used for back teeth because back teeth need to be strong enough to do the chewing.
Implants
Dental implants can be individual teeth or multiple teeth. The main difference between an implant and a crown is that instead of a crown being bonded to part of a natural tooth, a titanium screw is implanted in the bone and the crown is attached to that. The nice thing is that the implant actually causes the bone to start growing around it, which holds the implant tightly in the jaw. Then, the crown can be attached to the top of the implant. The implants function very much like natural teeth, and the coloration of the porcelain or dental resin can be made to match the existing teeth.
Whether you go with crowns or implants, you can have teeth that look just like your natural teeth and get back your natural smile.
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