Best Options for Replacing Missing Teeth

Teeth are essential to our health and well-being. They serve as a foundation for our smiles, protect our cranial bones, and help us chew food.

If you have problems with your smile or speech, it may be time to fix missing tooth. Be sure to visit Southland Dental Care for all dental implants Los Angeles.

However, with the many options for replacing missing teeth available to you, it can be challenging to decide the best solution for your needs.

This article will compare dental implants with traditional teeth replacement options. It will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method and offer advice on choosing the best one for you.

Denture History

Throughout history, people have lost their teeth through accident, disease, or decay. As early as 700 B.C., primitive dentures were made from human and animal teeth.

Over the years, new forms of dentures have been created, including ceramics. Current denture designs include dental implants for strength and longevity.

What Are Dentures?

Dentures are custom-made replacements for missing teeth. They’re usually made of a durable plastic called polymethyl methacrylate, PMMA, though they can also be made of acrylic if you have special requirements. The plastic rests on the gums and is held in place with clasps or elastic bands in the back of the mouth.

Benefits of Dentures

If you’ve lost your teeth, you will experience problems with performing various actions. Luckily, there are solutions available that can give you back the ability to do all those things. The most common reasons people choose dentures are:

Comfort: Chewing and eating can be difficult when you’re missing teeth. Replacing them with dentures will bring more stability to the jaw, meaning less strain on the jaw muscles.

Appearance: What better way to improve your smile than giving you a perfectly restored look?

Cleanliness: Dentures fit closely and are easy to clean.

Communication: A denture can help you communicate more clearly. For example, if you’ve lost your front teeth, you may experience problems pronouncing certain syllables. With dentures, it will be easier to speak.

What Are Options To Replace Missing Teeth?

A dentist or oral surgeon is usually responsible for picking the best option. Making this decision is important because the kind of replacement will depend on different factors, including the following:

Your lifestyle: These are the kind of food you eat and the chewing frequency.

Your personality: These are your preferences regarding appearance, function, comfort, and cost.

Your dentist will discuss these factors with you to determine which option is best for your needs.

Here are our top five options for replacing missing teeth.

1. Dental Implants

A dental implant is a small post made of titanium surgically placed in your jaw. The post is then coated with an artificial tooth, called an abutment, and topped off with a crown.

Because of their attachment to bone anchors, dental implants are sturdier than your average dentures. This allows for greater stability when you’re chewing food.

They are beneficial when a patient lacks strong natural teeth roots that can allow building dentures or bridgework tooth replacements.

In addition to the lack of strong natural teeth roots to accommodate bridgework, dental implants can be the right option under the following conditions:

If you are willing and can commit to several months of bone healing.
If your bones are strong enough to accommodate the implant or if you can have a bone graft.
If your overall health is good enough to allow bone healing.
If your jawbone has reached full growth.
If your oral tissues are healthy.
If you only wish to replace one or a few teeth.
If you don’t want or can’t wear dentures.

Advantages of Dental Implants

Dental implants are more stable than traditional teeth replacement options and typically last a lifetime.
Dental implants are one of the most effective options to replace a tooth.
They are known to provide the best natural look and feel.
Dental implant surgery doesn’t involve or disturb your neighboring teeth.
Being permanent, they don’t require regular check-ups.

Disadvantages of Dental Implants

Dental implant surgery is often considered riskier than removable denture surgery.
Jaw preparation is required to implant a single tooth or maxillary arch.
Usually, one side of the face has to be surgically prepared more than the other so that implants can be placed without causing discomfort or damage to the face, especially the teeth and jawbones on that side of the face.
Dental implants are the most expensive options to replace a tooth. You can expect to part with an amount ranging between $3000 and $6000.
Dental implant surgery is invasive. An oral surgeon will have to screw the implant into the jawbone, and the healing process will take time. In addition to that, there’s the risk of complications.

2. Complete Dentures

A complete denture replaces all the teeth from one arch, upper or lower. Also called traditional dentures, this is one of the least expensive missing teeth solutions but requires more care and maintenance than other options like implants.

They require intensive health care.

Complete dentures are often made from acrylic resin, a plastic material that allows your dentures to move when you are talking and chewing.

They are used to provide a restoration that looks natural and feels comfortable.

Advantages of Complete Dentures

The cost is the lowest among all options available for tooth replacement. For a standard complete set of dentures, you can expect to pay between $1,000 and $3,000, depending on the quality.
They are the best option for people with a healthy mouth and soft gums.
They allow the person to chew and speak clearly.
They are durable and thus require little maintenance and care.

Disadvantages of Complete Dentures

Unlike partial dentures, complete dentures are designed as one unit and will not move as much as partial dentures. This may cause problems with speech or swallowing if they don’t fit correctly.
You will be very limited in the type of food you can eat. You must maintain healthy teeth and gums to prevent problems with your dentures.
They do not live up to patients’ expectations for patients who want their teeth back as natural as possible. This is because they are entirely artificial replacements.
They are susceptible to hard foods and high sugars.

3. Partial Dentures

In addition to complete dentures, partial dentures are also a common option for replacing teeth. Partial dentures are designed to make replacement of a single arch, such as the lower arch, leaving the upper arch intact and functioning as they were before the loss of teeth.

Partial dentures are less expensive than complete dentures. They provide an opportunity to replace some of your teeth to restore the appearance of your mouth and improve your chewing ability.

Partial dentures are also made of acrylic resin and can move freely as you chew and talk, eliminating some of the problems with complete dentures.

If you have partial dentures, it is essential to maintain a healthy diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to keep your teeth and gums strong.

Although partial dentures do not seem as natural as complete dentures, they are designed to provide patients with strong functional teeth that can reduce or eliminate the need for gum surgery.

Advantages of Partial Dentures

You will always have a smile.
They are better for people with healthy teeth and gums.
You can restore your appearance with good care and maintenance.
They are less expensive than complete dentures, saving you significant amounts of money in the long run. The price of a standard partial denture can range between $500 and $1,500.

Disadvantages of Partial Dentures

They are not as durable as a complete denture or dental implant.
They may give you problems while chewing and speaking. You may need orthodontic treatment to treat the problem.
Like complete dentures, they will limit the type of food you can consume.
You will need to remove and clean them every day before sleeping

4. Bridges

A bridge is a metal framework cemented to the teeth on either side of the missing tooth or teeth, forming a span across the gap.

Bridges can restore your appearance and confidence in your smile. While they do not provide for highly increased chewing ability like implants, you’ll be able to chew more foods than with a gap between your teeth.

Depending on the type, bridges will generally cost you between $1,500 and $5,000.

There are two types of bridges.

1. Tooth-Supported Bridges

Natural teeth anchor these bridges on either side of a gap. Tooth-supported bridges provide a similar realistic look and feel to that of dental implants. They are different from implants-based options in that no invasive surgery is required, and hence they are economical and won’t take much time to heal.

However, the adjacent teeth to the gap require crowning. A major drawback of this approach is that the adjoining teeth risk suffering damage after some time, especially if the bridge was poorly fitted.

Another disadvantage is that they require thorough cleaning to avoid infection. This is due to the unwanted presence of food particles that may slip underneath the bridge.

2. Implant-Supported Bridges

In an implant-supported bridge, the artificial teeth are secured to dental implants on either side of the gap. They are an economical option for replacing several missing teeth in a row and boast of being equally effective as a dental implant.

However, implant-supported bridges are not a permanent solution, and the placement demands several visits to your dentist.

Advantages of Bridges

They can restore your appearance.
You can use them for partial or complete tooth replacement.

Disadvantages of Bridges

They are expensive and require a complex procedure to make and fix in your mouth.
They may not be suitable for elderly patients who cannot maintain good oral hygiene and regular visits to the dentist due to their physical condition.

5. Flippers

A dental flipper is a flexible retainer attached between the teeth to hold them in place for aesthetic and functional purposes. They belong to the class of $399 dental implants.

Dental flippers are very similar to partial dentures in that they can restore the appearance of the mouth and improve chewing ability. However, they differ from partial dentures in the following ways:

Dental flippers are generally permanently attached to the patient’s teeth, but for partial dentures, a patient can remove them by themselves.
Flippers stay attached to the patient’s teeth and have no moving parts.
Dental flippers are more durable than partial dentures, requiring replacement less often.

Advantages of Dental Flippers

You can use dental flippers for partial or complete tooth replacement.
They are the best for people who don’t want to wear fixed bridges or in-lays.
If you are looking for $399 dental implants, this is your best bet. They are generally cheap.
A flipper should cost around $300 and $500.
They are painless.
They are much lighter than partial dentures.
Dental flippers provide a temporary tooth replacement option while you wait for a permanent option.

Disadvantages of Dental Flippers

It is not as strong as fixed bridges.
They can be uncomfortable.
Flippers are designed to be a temporary solution and are thus more prone to damage.

There are many other missing teeth solutions available to patients wishing to repair their smiles. You can easily find them on our website or search for dental implants near me on Google.

At Southland Dental Care, we provide the highest level of dental care and fix missing tooth in many patients and communities. Our dentists strive to provide the best solution to any dental condition you may have. If you are looking for the best dental implants near me in Los Angeles, you are home.

We even provide advanced techniques for replacing a missing tooth, such as all on 4 dental implants, all on 6 dental implants, full mouth dental implants, and full arch dental implants. If you visit us, you’ll realize that replacing a missing tooth has never been this cheap.

Replacing Missing Teeth Los Angeles