You don’t need us to tell you how just one missing tooth can completely throw off the entire appearance of your smile. Missing teeth towards the front of the mouth can be a major cosmetic problem, and even if the tooth is towards the back of the mouth, it can inhibit normal chewing. This can all make it more difficult to smile, especially in a world with more cameras than ever. If you’ve been dealing with this issue, Dr. Stirneman and our team can offer you a variety of solutions so you can go out into the world always with peace of mind.
Partial Denture
A partial denture involves a prosthetic tooth attached to an acrylic, gum-colored base. It is usually held in place using small metal clasps that cling onto neighboring healthy teeth, and they are one of the fastest solutions to tooth loss available today. However, they lack the longevity most patients would want from a tooth replacement, and the clasps often can cause the remaining teeth and gums to become very irritated and sore over time. We tend to use them as a temporary solution until a patient is able to get something more permanent.
Fixed Bridge
A fixed bridge consists of a replacement tooth that is attached to dental crowns placed on either side of the missing one. While they are much more stable than a partial denture, they do require that healthy teeth be filed down in order to fit the supporting crowns, and they usually need to be replaced every 7-10 years. We typically recommend them for patients who want to replace their teeth without having to undergo surgery.
Single Tooth Implant
If you’re looking to get the next best thing to a real tooth, then a dental implant is the way to go. A titanium post will be used to mimic the root structure of the tooth, and this will be attached to a custom-made all-porcelain dental crown. This approach of replacing the whole tooth won’t just make the restoration extremely stable, but more natural-looking as well. With that and our use of only the highest-quality dental porcelain, it provides the most complete solution to missing teeth.
