Many people have lost at least one tooth, and while some might be happy to live with the gap, others will prefer to fill it as soon as possible. For your dental health, it is better to replace a missing tooth in Ajax as soon as possible. Losing even a single tooth can affect the health of your remaining teeth, allowing them to shift position, destabilizing them and affecting your bite.
When it comes to replacing a single tooth, there are a couple of choices. The most traditional choice is to have a dental bridge, where crowns fitted over the adjacent teeth support a replacement tooth called a pontic, resulting in a three-tooth structure. Dental bridges are strong, stable and relatively long-lasting and can look pretty good. However, nowadays, it is becoming more common for people to choose a single implant tooth in Whitby. A dental implant tooth has an artificial tooth root made from titanium or zirconia, a strong form of porcelain inserted directly into the jawbone. This supports the replacement implant crown. Both treatments have some pros and cons.
Dental Bridges
A dental bridge is quick to make, typically only taking a few weeks to complete. There is no need for oral surgery, and the upfront cost is usually slightly less compared with a single dental implant.
However, a dental bridge in Pickering must be replaced every ten years, although some may last longer. In addition, because your dentist needs to reshape the adjacent teeth for crowns substantially, these adjacent teeth are more prone to cavities, and tooth decay as the crowns begin to age and leak. Most importantly, once healthy tooth structure is removed from these teeth, it can only be replaced artificially, so once these teeth have crowns, they will always need dental crowns in the future.
Dental Implants
Dental implants do take longer to plan and place, but they are a long-lasting solution. Provided you care for them properly, you should be enjoying the benefits of your dental implant tooth for years to come, or hopefully even for life. In addition, they can look more natural compared with a dental bridge tooth because the implant tooth is surrounded by gum and emerges from it, just like a real tooth. In comparison, a bridge tooth sits on the gum. Over time, the bone underneath the bridge tooth can begin to recede as it resorbs, so the bridge tooth or pontic no longer sits so snugly on the gum.
Another big benefit of having a dental implant tooth is that only the missing tooth is involved in treatment. The dental implant doesn’t impact the adjacent teeth and instead protects them, preventing them from moving out of place. However, perhaps the biggest benefit of having a dental implant tooth is the protective effect on your jawbone. Instead of resorbing over time, the implant post provides the stimulation needed to keep your jawbone strong and healthy.
The cost of having a dental implant in Oshawa is slightly higher than a dental bridge initially, but it can be more cost-effective in the long term. This is because you are likely to replace a dental bridge more frequently than a dental implant. When the time comes, you will need to replace a three-tooth bridge compared with just a single implant crown.
Choosing the Best Option
When it comes to your dental health in Newcastle, you want to make the best choice for your needs. So when you see our dental implant dentist here at Durham Dental Solutions, we can assess your current dental health and medical health and discuss all possible treatments in greater detail.
