Losing a tooth can be one of the most troubling events of one’s life. This is because losing a tooth can mean drastic complications to the quality of your smile. This article will talk about the ways that you could lose a tooth and the options there are for you with regards to replacing missing teeth.
Why do you lose teeth?
Teeth can be lost through a number of reasons as enumerated and briefly discussed below:
Broken or cracked teeth. The problem with this form of dental trauma is that it’s possible for the affected tooth to become completely halved or even split into two, revealing the sensitive layers of the tooth and causing it to become rendered useless. For this reason, broken or cracked teeth are often extracted as a recourse.
Gum infections. Gum conditions such as gingivitis and periodontitis can lead to even perfectly healthy teeth to fall off because the tissue which is supposed to hold the teeth firmly into place are no longer capable of doing so.
Tooth decay. Most of the time, decayed teeth would have to be removed either because of their susceptibility to infections or because of the massive pain that the patient would be feeling in due part because of the heavily decayed tooth.
What are your options for replacing lost teeth?
Dentures. The mention of this dental prosthesis may bring to mind images of an elderly individual and his or her bedstand. However, dentures these days have become more or less natural looking and their use is no longer confined to just older individuals. The problem with dentures though is the fact that they rely on suction of the gums and the denture to hold them in place.
Dental Bridges. Bridges are basically crowns which are attached to the nearest natural tooth in order to keep them into place. Just like dentures, dental bridges are easily removed and can even fall off while you are eating or in the middle of you talking.
Dental Implants. Compared to the two other options, dental implants are more resilient and can even last an entire lifetime. For this reason, dental implants are fast gaining popularity in the world of dentistry. Dental implants make use of titanium rods which are then drilled deep into the empty dental socket. This rod will take the place of the lost dental root, after which a porcelain crown is screwed into place to give an allusion of a tooth.
