Losing your teeth can be very upsetting at any age. It can affect your self confidence and your self esteem and it can have a negative impact on many aspects of your life. You may experience pain, soreness, or discomfort where your tooth was before. It can change the appearance of your smile and your face, making you look a lot older than you actually are.
Missing teeth can cause changes in your speech and you may find that you develop a lisp where you cannot pronounce some of your words properly. It can cause difficulty eating and you may not be able to enjoy your favourite foods anymore. Missing teeth can also cause dental health issues. It can cause adjacent teeth to shift to try and fill the gap left by your missing teeth, which means your remaining teeth will be crooked and wonky. Also bacteria has a greater chance of accumulating below the gum line which can cause gum disease, bone decay and further missing teeth.
It is important that you speak to your dentist South Yarra sooner rather than later and find out about replacing missing teeth before the complications begin. If you can replace your missing teeth immediately then this will be the best solution for you. Replacing missing teeth with your dentist South Yarra will help restore the appearance of your smile and your face and it will also help restore most of the function of your mouth.
Dental implants
One of the most popular methods of replacing missing teeth with your dentist South Yarra is with dental implants. Dental implants are the gold standard in tooth replacement. They are small titanium screws which replace the root of your missing tooth so that your tooth can be replaced with a crown. Once in place, a dental implant is designed to last for the rest of your life. The crown itself can be replaced after five to ten years, but the implant will be fixed into your jaw and is therefore permanent.
To look after your implant you need to make sure that you maintain excellent dental hygiene as you would with your natural teeth and visit the dentist on a regular basis. Dental implants are the closest thing to natural teeth. You will need sufficient healthy bone and gum for dental implants and your dentist will also make sure that you have no underlying medical conditions that may affect the success of your implant.
Removable dentures
If you have no teeth left and dental implants are not suitable for you then you need to speak to your dentist and find out about removable dentures. Removable dentures can be made of acrylic, nylon or metal and are designed to fit securely over your gums to replace a full arch of teeth. You can have a full set of dentures to replace all of your teeth.
Your dentist will take measurements and impressions of your mouth so that the dentures fit accurately for comfort and convenience. They not only restore the appearance of your face and smile but they also restore a lot of the function of your mouth, allowing you to speak more easily and bite and chew a greater range of food than if you are edentulous.
Partial dentures
Another effective solution for replacing missing teeth is the use of removable partial dentures. This is for patients who still have some of their natural teeth but are not eligible for dental implants. These are usually made of metal and resin and use attachments and hooks that are fitted onto your remaining teeth. They can be used to replace one tooth or several teeth and have multiple different designs depending on your individual requirements. With a set of partial dentures you can replace missing teeth that are adjacent to one another or even those that are located on opposite sides of the mouth.
Partial dentures restore the aesthetic appearance of your mouth. Once you become accustomed to wearing them you will find that they improve any problems that you may be experiencing with your speech and you will also notice that you can bite and chew more easily than with missing teeth. It is important that you remove your dentures, whether they are full or partial, before you go to bed at night to allow your mouth to relax. They also need to be taken out of your mouth so that they can be cleaned properly and that you can clean the rest of your mouth properly to maintain the health of your remaining teeth.
Speak to your dentist today and find out more about tooth replacement so that you can make an informed decision of what will be the best option for you.
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
