A full, beautiful smile comes with many benefits, including higher self-esteem which significantly impacts every area of a person’s life. While having all your teeth doesn’t necessarily equal good oral health, missing teeth certainly indicates poor oral health.
This is because just one missing tooth raises a person’s risk of gum disease, cavities, tooth movement, and jawbone atrophy. The gums become more susceptible to disease-causing bacteria, the neighboring teeth begin to move towards the gap, and the jawbone in that area is no longer stimulated, therefore, it diminishes.
Thankfully, most dentists offer several ways to solve these problems through restorative dentistry. At Magic Smiles, our goal is to restore your smile so you can live a better, more fulfilling life. To do this, we offer dental bridges, dentures, and dental implants to our patients with missing teeth.
Continue reading to learn how each of these restorative dentistry options can complete your smile.
Dental Bridge
A dental bridge literally “bridges” the gap between teeth. Two crowns on either side of the one, two, or three missing teeth, hold the bridge in place. These offer stability and permanency that patients don’t usually experience with dentures.
Dental bridges are most beneficial to patients with minor to moderate tooth loss. They will certainly restore function, boost self-esteem, and reduce the risk of gum disease and cavities, but will not help with jawbone atrophy. Additionally, patients with scattered missing teeth or an entire arch of missing teeth would benefit more from other restorative options.
To place the dental bridge, patients must be in good oral health and commit to maintaining good oral hygiene. Furthermore, the patient should have two healthy teeth on either side of the missing teeth. The dentist will remove a small amount of enamel from the patient’s natural teeth and fit the custom dental crowns on top of them.
Dentures
Our custom dentures are a great option for patients with several missing teeth throughout their smile or a full arch of missing teeth. Our prosthetist, Harry Ramana, creates both full and partial dentures in our office.
Partial dentures can be made from several materials, including acrylic and metal. These are held in place by small metal clasps that attach to the patient’s remaining natural teeth.
Full dentures are an aesthetically pleasing option for patients missing all their teeth on the top and/or bottom arches. Along with filling in their smile, full dentures also fill out the cheeks to reduce the sunken-in appearance that comes with missing teeth. Suction and dentures adhesives hold the full dentures in place.
We also offer permanent or removable implant-supported dentures.
Dental Implants
If you’re looking for a restorative option that most resembles natural teeth, dental implants are the answer. These small, titanium rods take the place of the missing tooth roots and can support a dental crown, bridge, partial denture, or full denture.
Dental implants provide optimal stability, fully restored function, and long-lasting results. One of the greatest advantages of this option is that the implants stimulate the jawbone to undo and prevent jawbone atrophy.
Though the process of placing dental implants is significantly longer than other restorative options, most dentists agree that the time is worth it. The dental implant procedure is highly successful, and patients rarely experience complications afterward. Once complete, patients reap the benefits for decades to come.
To learn if you are a candidate for dental implants, contact our team today to schedule an initial consultation.
Restorative Dentistry for Missing Teeth in Woolgoolga
At Magic Smiles, our team of experienced and gentle dentists is prepared to restore your smile back to health, function, and beauty. To discuss your restorative options, call our office today at (02) 6654-0650 to schedule an initial consultation.
