What’s the Best Way to Replace Missing Teeth?
Dealing with missing teeth or removable dentures is difficult and frustrating. No one wants to think about losing their teeth, but unfortunately, there are millions of Americans who are living without teeth. There are huge repercussions to losing your teeth, and you need to know the best ways to restore your mouth.
Today, we need to speak about ways you can repair your mouth and eat the foods you love again. Missing teeth make it nearly impossible to get the nutrition you need. Because of the lack of food options available to people with missing teeth or dentures, it’s likely that your overall will also suffer. I’ve read studies that claim patients without teeth cut as much as 10 years off their life. It makes perfect sense. Without good nutrition, it’s next to impossible to live a healthy life!
Below I’ve shared some ways in which we can replace your missing teeth with
dental implants and give you the option to eat the food you love again. I’ll
also show you how dental implants compare with other treatments
Dental implants to replace single missing teeth
For years, the most convenient way to replace missing teeth was with a denture
or bridge. These options don’t so much replace the missing tooth or teeth as
they do fill the gap caused by the missing tooth. A bridge requires us to file
down the adjacent healthy teeth to support the appliance, and a traditional
denture slides around in the mouth. Bridges have a higher failure rate because
we have to shave down your healthy teeth — and anytime you restore teeth, you
risk needing additional dental work. And the biggest problem with a denture is
that it’s hard to keep in place.
There is always the option of doing nothing. But single missing teeth are
important to fix because one missing tooth can affect the alignment of your
remaining healthy teeth, and of course, missing teeth are an eyesore. Today,
dental implants are our ideal way to replace missing teeth. The implants, which
are made from titanium, naturally fuse with the jawbone to support a permanent,
lifelike restoration.
No more slippery dentures
We’ve covered how to fix single missing teeth, but we can also use dental
implants to stabilize dentures. Removable dentures are tough on patients. These
dentures work great shortly after they are crafted, but overtime, they can warp
and slide around in the mouth. Also, because the teeth are lost, the jawbone begins
to change shapes. All of this leads to poor biting force, which directly
affects the patient’s overall health.
I don’t know too many patients who enjoy wearing removable dentures. Actually,
I typically find that denture wearers keep their teeth by their bed or in their
pocket more than they do in their mouth. We can place dental implants around
the mouth and then fashion a denture to secure on top of the dental implants.
The dental implants open up your food options, and you no longer have to worry
about your teeth sliding around in your mouth.
This is just a short introduction into dental implants. We have so much more to
tell you about. To visit our office for an in-depth consultation, call one of
our two locations. You can reach the St. John dental office at 219-322-9920 or
the Valparaiso office at 219-462-1970.
About Us
Creating Smiles, PC, located in St. John and Valparaiso, Indiana, offers everything you need for a healthy smile and a healthier life. Dr. Kapers and his team can take the anxiety and uncertainty out of dental visits with sedation dentistry, and we're the premier provider of dental implants in the region.