Have you lost a tooth to an injury, experienced the devastation of periodontal infection or the pain of an abscessed tooth? Dental trauma, gum disease, and tooth decay are all common reasons for adult tooth loss. Losing a molar, or an anterior tooth, can make chewing and speaking difficult. If you have lost an incisor, cuspid, or one of your front teeth, you have cosmetic issues on top of these inconveniences.
Why Restorative Dentistry is Important
While these may be reason enough to replace a missing tooth, there are more risks to consider. Adult tooth loss opens the flood gates for several dental health conditions. Our Fresno dentists, Dr. Claudia Denes and Dr. Alex Denes recommend restorative dentistry to replace missing teeth using bridges and dental implants, and avoid the complications that come with tooth loss. Here are a few ways dental implants, bridges, and partial dentures can address a missing tooth.
Bridges Prevent Teeth Drifting
You can imagine your teeth as placeholders for one another. When one tooth is missing, pressure from chewing, speaking patterns, and other factors cause your teeth to shift. This is due in part because the teeth are attempting to make up for the missing tooth. For instance, a bicuspid may shift to do the job of a lost molar. These smaller teeth are no match for the intense chewing pressure a molar usually performs. Therefore, the bicuspid is more susceptible to damage, making it weaker against tooth decay and breakage. With a dental bridge, the missing tooth is replaced with an artificial tooth and attached to the remaining teeth surrounding the gap. Made with two crowns and a ceramic restoration, dental bridges not only replace tooth function, but keep surrounding teeth from shifting out of place.
For more information about how dental implants from our Fresno dentists can prevent jawbone deterioration, and malocclusion, stay tuned to our next blog.