If you have missing teeth you’re probably acutely aware that you need to get them taken care of. Besides looking like you just finished a hockey game brawl, leaving gaps in your teeth unfilled can lead to infection and degeneration of your jaw bone and teeth alignment.
Boston dentists know about missing teeth from hockey brawls as well as anyone in the world. That may be why Boston has some of the best dental schools in the country.
A Boston cosmetic dentist is likely to know the most advanced techniques for dealing with missing teeth as well.
Bridges – A bridge is a simple solution for a single missing tooth. It involves fusing a false tooth to crowns placed on the two adjacent teeth. The false tooth is not connected to the root at any point — it simply spans the gap like a … bridge.
A bridge is an inexpensive fix for a single tooth gap, but there are drawbacks. The teeth next to the gap will have to be filed down to take the crowns even if they’re completely healthy. Additionally, bridges are not permanent solutions. They’ll have to be redone every few years.
Dentures – This is a common solution for people who have lost multiple teeth in a row. Full or partial dentures have traditionally relied on suction to gums and sometimes a fixative agent to hold in place. Unfortunately this is an imperfect solution as anyone who has tried to chew with dentures knows.
Increasingly, denture wearers are opting for greater stability and functionality of mounting their dentures with dental implants.
Dental Implants – In terms of aesthetics and function, Dental implants are the best options for replacing missing teeth. Dentists carefully look at the jaw and gums of a patient to decide if an implant is viable. Then a titanium root-like structure is inserted into the jaw. This makes a stable anchor for a realistic looking artificial tooth.
At one time it was necessary to wait upwards of six months for an implant to heal enough to install the new tooth, but modern procedures Boston dentists are using can do it on the same day.
Dental implants can also be used to anchor dentures and bridges in many cases. While implants are often much more expensive, they are permanent solutions that function almost as well as natural teeth.
Dental Partners of Boston
800 Boylston Street, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02199
(617) 259-1100

