HAVE MISSING TOOTH? HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO!!

Do you have a missing tooth that spoils your entire look when you smile? Or are you just tired of people commenting “hey! You have a missing tooth”? And for the senior citizens, is it getting difficult for you day by day to eat and take proper required nourishment?

Well, don’t you worry; we at TODAYS DENTAL have numerous options to choose from, depending on your paying capacity, age, and medical history and more, to solve your toothless problem and give back to you, your beautiful contagious smile to flaunt and for the oldies, strong teeth so that they can eat till their tummy is full.

Let’s begin then!

1. IMPLANTS

The most advanced and painless procedure in dentistry. Implants are screws that are drilled into your jaw bones with an abutment on top that holds your crown.

For younger patients with missing tooth/teeth, implants are the best solution for them, because of a healthy bone condition at their age and no other serious medical history (in majority of the patients, exceptions are always there!) they can very well adapt an implant and use it to the fullest.

For older patients too, implants are a very good option as they can enjoy their favorite food which they couldn’t because of the loss of tooth/teeth. Points to be noted for implant surgery in older patients are (a) medical history, if the patient has any medical history for e.g. diabetes, arthritis, etc., an approval from the doctor or physician is a must (b) bone condition – as the implant will be drilled in the bone, it’s imperative to know the bone condition i.e. is it dense or spongy and bone height, so that an appropriate length of the implant can be inserted and correct decision about the implant can be made. These can be checked with the help of CBCT which gives a 3D view of the jaw bone. Moreover, if you have zero teeth, multiple implants can be inserted and you get back a complete set of teeth.

Nonetheless, whatever might be your condition, implants are a great success if the surgery is done with proper technique and all the essential pre, during and post-operative instructions are thoroughly followed both by the dentist and the patient. And they aren’t heavy on pocket.

2. BRIDGES (MULTIPLE CROWNS)

If you have missing teeth, a bridge (multiple crowns) can be a great alternative. I want you to use your imagination, and imagine the situation I am going to tell you. 

For example, there are 2 teeth missing in the lower left back tooth region, with one tooth present both in front and back of the gap. And you want to replace the missing gap with teeth so that you can eat well and look good too. What we at TODAYS DENTAL do is, do intentional root canal treatment (so that you don’t feel any sensitivity to hot or cold, when we prepare teeth for bridge placement) of the present front and back teeth. Then when the RCT is done, we prepare the teeth, i.e., reduce them in dimensions so that the bridge/crowns can fit well. And impressions are done, so that it can be sent to the lab for fabrication. And if the bridge fits perfectly with no space for food lodgment, then it’s good for fixing and voila! You got your new teeth. Go use them as much as you can

The advantage of bridge is no medical history has to be taken into consideration. The disadvantage being, minute food lodgment can get started over a long period of time, causing harm to the underlying gingival tissue.

 3. PARTIAL DENTURES

In the similar situation above, one can also get a partial denture done. My suggestion would be, go for the two options mentioned earlier as there are multiple disadvantages of partial denture (a) partial dentures have a metal ring called clasp which are engaged on the adjacent teeth and can cause harm by loss of tooth structure over a period of time (b) the material used for dentures are acrylic, some patients can be allergic to it, causing gingival injury (c) they need to be removed every time you are sleeping, even if a small nap, because of the fear of swallowing them in your sleep (d) proper hygiene of the denture has to be maintained, if the denture is not cleaned, fungal infection can take place and that’s bad (e) they need to be tightened again and again when the metal ring gets loose. All in all, the partial dentures are not advised both for the elderly and definitely not for older patients.

4. COMPLETE DENTURES

These dentures are specifically for elderly patients who have no teeth left. The complete dentures are a good option, keeping in mind some points, (a) hygiene maintenance of the denture which can be done by cleaning with a denture brush and toothpaste (b) taking them out whenever you are sleeping (c) using them to the full extent so that the oral cavity and musculature can get well adapted to the denture (d) keeping the denture in a box of water and cover it with a lid while sleeping. Closing it with a lid is important so that it does not get infected by rats or cockroaches. If one can take these points into consideration and put them into practice judiciously, complete dentures can be good a good option well within your pocket.

I hope, I was able to put across the various treatment modalities for your missing tooth/teeth in a way possible that you can make a right decision about which treatment option suits you the best but whatever the situation, my suggestion would always be implants, no matter what your age or medical history, if protocol is 100% followed, implants are a great success. 

We at TODAYS DENTAL, are here at your service and assure you to provide the best treatment and services.