Losing a tooth can take quite a toll on your self-confidence. For this reason alone, most people who have lost one or several teeth will seek dental treatment right away. Dental bridges are one of the more popular treatments for these individuals. People lose teeth for any number of reasons. Auto accidents and sporting accidents are common causes, but many lose them due to illness, radiation treatments, or other unforeseen circumstances – and let us not forget poor oral hygiene.
While missing teeth are a cosmetic concern, they are also something that needs immediate treatment to preserve your general oral health. Missing teeth will eventually cause a host of other dental problems including:
- Shifting of remaining teeth
- Jawbone deterioration
- Speech problems
- Eating problems
- Further tooth loss
There are three common types of bridges. The most common dental bridge consists of a false tooth attached to two dental crowns. These crowns are placed on the natural teeth that remain on each side of the missing tooth. This is the sturdiest type of bridge, and so we usually recommend it where it is appropriate.
Another type of bridge is the resin-bonded bridge. This is usually reserved for the front teeth. It consists of a false tooth that is connected to the adjacent teeth with a metal band and resin.
A third type of bridge is the half-bridge. As the name suggests, only one crown is attached to the false tooth. These are used when there is only one adjacent natural tooth available.
The bridge procedure usually takes three office visits, and can be done in under a month in most cases. If you live in the Kansas City area and are missing one or more teeth, please contact Dr. Castaneda today to arrange an appointment.
Implants are comfortable, attractive and will help you regain confidence in your smile. They are an alternative to bridges, partials or dentures. Implants look and feel like natural teeth. An implant basically is an artificial root that anchors to your jaw bone. Titanium (the material we use for the artificial root) isn’t recognized by the body’s immune system, so it is not rejected as an implant. It integrates with the jawbone to give a firm support to the artificial replacement that it will support.
Ideal candidates for dental implants should be in good health, have healthy gums, good oral habits for the aftercare and healthy jawbone to support the implants.
Implant placement does require several steps over a period of time ranging from 3 months to over 1 year depending on your specific needs. Here are the steps followed for implant therapy
1. The implant is inserted into the jawbone and allowed to heal
several months
2. A post is attached to the implant and a mold is taken for
fabrication of a permanent crown
3. A permanent tooth (crown) is attached after all healing is
complete.
Implants can be an important part of creating the best functional and cosmetic results for patients. Unlike a bridge you can floss in between the implant crown much like a natural tooth.
If you are interested in more information about implants please contact us to schedule a free consultation!
Poor dental hygiene today leads to greater monetary expense tomorrow. A lifetime of proper brushing and flossing will preserve teeth as long as they are needed, but let those habits slip and tooth decay occurs. Extensive decay leads to restorative dental procedures such as inlays, onlays, or crowns.
Inlays are a restorative treatment used to treat damaged areas of the tooth inside the cusp of the tooth. Stronger than silver fillings, the inlay is bonded directly to the tooth to strengthen it and provide a more aesthetic appearance. Onlays are basically the same as inlays, except some portion of the onlay is fitted over the cusp of the tooth and is more exposed when biting. Inlays and onlays are considered to be more conservative options than their cousin the crown is.
Crowns or caps replace a significant amount of tooth material due to decay or breakage. In order to apply a cap, much of the original tooth is removed. The cap is created to fit the bite of the alternate tooth and is cemented into place. All three restoratives can be made of gold, dental porcelain, or composite resin depending on the patients needs.
In most offices, two visits are required for inlays, onlays, and crowns. The dentist prepares the tooth and makes impressions for the restorative during the first visit. A temporary is placed and the impressions are sent to a dental lab to be custom made. In a few weeks, during the follow up visit, the inlay, onlay, or crown is cemented permanently in place. In some offices, the processing time is reduced because the fabrication is performed during a single visit.
If you have neglected preventative dental care and need same day restorations in the Shawnee area, contact Dr. Castaneda, who specializes in sedation dentistry; go online to schedule an appointment today.
When a tooth goes missing, it puts the teeth around it in danger. A gap in the tooth structure makes the teeth around it unstable and may alter the bite (occlusion), cause shifting of other teeth, or even induce TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder). In many cases, a dental bridge replaces the missing tooth. A cap or crown is placed on the two teeth surrounding the gap, anchoring a porcelain tooth in between called a pontic. There are three basic types of bridge options. [More]
