The Best Solution For Missing Teeth

The problem of missing teeth is not the same for everyone. Each person has his own unique situation. For the best results, it’s important to consider your personal situation.

What factors are relevant?

Cost and preference are only two factors. Others are even more important. One example is how many teeth are missing. A second factor is the health of your remaining teeth. Third, the health of your jawbone should be considered. With that being said, here are some of the choices available to you.

Dental Implants 

Many people today prefer dental implants, as they are a permanent, natural approach to missing teeth. However, not everyone is a good candidate. An ideal candidate for implants does not need to have many teeth replaced, and has a healthy jawbone that’ll support an implant. If you’ve lost all or most of your natural teeth, or if your natural teeth are in poor condition and should be extracted, or if your jawbone isn’t healthy, implants aren’t the best option for you.

Bridge or Partial Dentures

If you’ve lost multiple teeth in one area, a bridge or a partial denture may be a better solution than implants. The main difference between these two devices is a bridge is permanent whereas partial dentures are removable.

A bridge is permanently affixed by implants. You can carefully brush your dental bridge when you brush your teeth. They don’t require extra care or inconvenience.

A partial denture should be removed for cleaning. It takes little time and effort to clean the denture.

Full Dentures

If the word “dentures” makes you think of elderly people in the past, the full dentures you can wear today are different from the false teeth your grandparents wore. The materials are better, and they’re made better, too.

When you choose high-quality modern dentures, they’ll fit snugly in your mouth. You won’t be embarrassed about dentures that slip when you talk, not have difficulty talking because of false teeth that are loose. With today’s quality materials, full dentures look completely natural.

All of these modern features make dentures suitable for individuals of all ages. Although adolescents and young adults rarely need full dentures, even young people can enjoy comfort and confidence.

From middle-age to seniors, adults will appreciate modern dentures. Whether your concern is your job or your social life, they’re not as noticeable as old-fashioned false teeth. They’re convenient, too. All you need to do is remove and clean your dentures every day.

Dr. Yap and the team would love to share options for missing teeth. If you’re ready to take a step toward a nicer appearance and better dental health, call us for an appointment.

If you’re missing one or more teeth, what are your tooth replacement options?

With today’s technology, there are several viable options:

• A fixed bridge. Many dentists agree that dental care should be approached from a tooth-conserving perspective and placing a fixed bridge usually requires altering teeth that are otherwise healthy.
• Dentures. False teeth while convenient have their limitations such as the type of food that you can eat.
• Dental implants. Permanent natural-looking teeth.

In order to best preserve your remaining teeth, and to provide a natural-looking solution that is permanent, Dr. Yap offers dental implants as a more advanced and longer lasting solution.

What are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are used as a complete tooth replacement and are made up of the following three components:

• Post. The post looks like a screw and is normally made of titanium. It is integrated into the jawbone like a tooth root with  a process known as osseointegration.
• Abutment. The abutment is attached to the post.
• Restoration. The restoration, or crown, is attached to the abutment.

Reasons Why Implants are a Good Option for Missing Teeth

Conserves the Jawbone

Fixed bridges cannot stimulate the jaw bone underneath the tooth, and the jawbone will eventually begin to deteriorate underneath the missing tooth. Dentures also have the same problem (unless they are implant-supported) If you have missing teeth, the jawbone under the gap will continue to deteriorate the longer you wait, and the more likely it is that your jawbone may lack the integrity to get implants in the future without a dental bone graft.

Implant-supported dentures

Many people call our office with concerns with their dentures such as:

• Poor fit.
• Sores in their mouths.
• Sunken lips.
• Food restrictions.

If you wear dentures, you can get a fixed, permanent solution with implant-supported dentures. We offer various procedures and some even support a full arch of false teeth with as few as four implants.

Preserves your appearance

If your jawbone begins to deteriorate, it often causes the front of your face to appear sunken in and can make you look older. People with dentures often complain of having thin lips and sunken cheeks. The posts of a dental implant provide stimulation to your jaw which helps to produce dense, healthy jawbone material and keep your face looking full and youthful.

Advanced Implant Technology at our Innaloo Dental Clinic

Implant dentistry has been evolving over decades. Today’s technology uses state-of-the-art digital imaging equipment, 3D CAD/CAM software, ceramic restoration milling machines, and computer tomography.

Dr. Yap is able to show you your treatment results before even starting your treatment. If you are considering dental implants to replace one or more teeth, or to provide a more comfortable solution for your dentures, give us a ring and schedule your free smile assessment with Dr. Yap.