If you have a damaged or missing tooth or teeth, tooth replacement is high on your to-do list. In Aberdeen, we have many options because each person’s situation, mouth, and lifestyle are unique. Having custom options that fit your dental needs and budget are important, but all the different options make choosing difficult.
Which tooth replacement is best? The best tooth replacement is the one that fits you.
Reasons to Replace Your Missing Teeth
Replacing your missing teeth is essential for your dental health. When you lose a tooth, your other teeth are at risk of becoming chipped and damaged because they now have to bear more bite force than usual. Damaged teeth have a higher risk of developing cavities, tooth decay, and gum disease, too. Gaps in your teeth make it difficult to chew and might also be sensitive.
If the teeth you’re missing are in the back, you might think it’s no big deal. After all, no one can see them. But that assumption is incorrect because, without a tooth root to stimulate your jawbone, it’ll begin to deteriorate. After a time, you could end up with a sunken and smooshed face. When you do decide to replace your teeth, you’ll likely need a bone graft at that point before you can get dental implants—the only tooth replacement option that replaces the root and crown.
The reason that drives most people to replace their teeth is the appearance of their smile. When you have holes in your smile, it looks unhealthy. You might end up disliking your smile and trying to hide it.
Aberdeen Tooth Replacement Options For Your Situation
Decay, erosion, trauma, and wear are all reasons why you might have lost or are on the verge of losing a tooth. Or maybe you’ve lost several teeth and need them all replaced. No matter the event, we have a replacement option for you.
Dental Crown
In some cases, you don’t need a tooth replacement at all. Sometimes, we can repair your tooth with a crown. Maybe you chipped your tooth eating Corn Nuts, or a baseball hit your mouth; if we can save the tooth, we won’t remove it. We can fix worn teeth from grinding or teeth with minor decay with a dental crown.
A dental crown is a protective cap that goes over your damaged tooth. It looks, feels, and functions like a natural tooth. It’ll fit right in line with your natural teeth, too, so your bite isn’t thrown off.
First, we’ll take digital impressions of your teeth to ensure that we create a tooth of the perfect size and orientation. Next, we’ll design your crown, mill it with our CEREC machine, fit it in your mouth and make adjustments as necessary.
At Kuhn Dental Associates, you’ll avoid the uncomfortable process of traditional impressions and receive your new tooth at the same appointment. You’ll have a new smile in just one day!
Dental Bridges
Dental bridges are for people who are missing one or two consecutive teeth. They “bridge the gap.” Because of the way bridges work, they’re best for people who already have crowns, damaged teeth, or large fillings on either side of the teeth that need replacing.
Bridges consist of two crowns and up to two teeth between them. The crowns attach to teeth on either side of the gap, so we need to grind down those teeth to make room for the crown. That’s why it works best when those teeth already need dental work; we like to avoid damaging healthy teeth.
The process for getting a bridge is similar to a crown. We take digital impressions, design and mill the bridge with CEREC, fit it in your mouth, and make any adjustments. Dental bridges are entirely fixed, have a quick procedure, last 10 – 15 years, look, feel, and function naturally.
Dentures
Dentures are an option for those who are missing many teeth. They’re false teeth that fit over your gums. Traditional dentures are held in your mouth with suction and look very natural. At Kuhn Dental Associates, we only provide high-quality dentures such as FOY® that help people look and feel younger.
Dentures and dental bridges do have their limitations, however. One drawback of these tooth replacement options is that they don’t replace the tooth’s root and, therefore, won’t stimulate your jawbone. Over time, your jawbone will begin to recede.
Dental Implants
Dental implants are usually the best tooth-replacement option because they replace the entire tooth—the crown and the root. The actual dental implant is a titanium post that is surgically inserted into your jawbone. A crown sits on top of the dental implant.
The implants themselves can last you a lifetime without needing replacement with the proper care, and the crowns will last 10 – 15 years. They look, feel, and function like a natural tooth and tooth root. Because this option replaces the root, your jawbone won’t deteriorate.
We can use this option for replacing multiple teeth or just one. If you lost your natural teeth due to gum disease or are replacing old dentures or bridges, we may need to perform a bone graft before placing the implant. The implant can only go into a jawbone that has enough density.
The healing time for dental implants varies per person, but you should expect a few months and a few more months if you need a bone graft. On the day of your surgery, you’ll still leave with a full mouth of teeth, but the crown might be temporary. It all depends on your bone and healing. Some people can leave with their permanent crown that day.
Like other tooth replacement options, we can do the entire procedure here in our office thanks to our digital impressions and CEREC tooth milling machine (we can do the bone graft here, too!).
All-On-4 Dental Implants
All-on-4 dental implants are a revolutionary technology that makes replacing an entire arch or an entire mouth of teeth easy for dentists and patients. This option uses four dental implants placed into each arch of teeth and implant-supported dentures that attach to the implants.
We place the implants into the densest area of the jawbone, and even though there are only four, they still stimulate your jawbone to prevent loss. This is more cost-effective and less invasive than a whole mouth or arch of traditional dental implants.
Many people who have had dentures for years like to upgrade to this option because the teeth are more secure.
How to Replace a Tooth in Aberdeen, NC
Choosing the tooth replacement option that is best for you can be challenging, but with the help of your Aberdeen dentists, you’ll decide on one that is right for your dental health, lifestyle, and budget. Replace your missing teeth today with Kuhn Dental Associates. Call (910) 692-4450 or make an appointment online.
