Non Implant Missing Tooth Replacement Options

Tooth loss causes profound changes in everyday habits and also significant inconvenience in daily life. Loss of one or more teeth as a result of dental disease or any other cause is undoubtedly an unfortunate event, but you can consider a number of options designed to treat tooth loss.
The options will vary according to the number of missing teeth, the location of each of them and the space created between the teeth. If implants are cost-prohibitive, or you have an underlying medical condition that makes it difficult or dangerous to place a dental implant, you do have some options! Fortunately, today there is a real alternative to dental implants with solutions that will depend on your personal case and history.

A Dental Bridge

A dental bridge fishers whose function is to bridge the missing tooth between two adjacent teeth. The bridge solution can also be a good solution as an implant especially if the adjacent teeth are not completely healthy ie: a condition that has large fillings / old crowns. Consider as a first step that the rehabilitation on implants also changes according to the number of teeth to be replaced. For example, in the event of the loss of a single tooth as an alternative to a dental implant, it will be possible to resort to a bridge on natural teeth or a single dental implant. When replacing two or more teeth, many dentists suggest using a partial removable prosthesis or a bridge on fixed implants. If you need to rehabilitate an entire dental arch, it will be possible to fold back on a total mobile prosthesis or choose rehabilitation on fixed implants. The lack of a single tooth or of several adjacent teeth could be solved with a removable prosthesis with hooks called a skeleton.

However, this solution presents some problems such as the unsightly presence of the support hooks, the lack of comfort during chewing and the irritation of the gum due to the pressure of the chewing loads. Not only that, if the prosthesis has to replace several teeth, all the weight of the chewing will go to the remaining natural teeth, causing an excessive load and even serious damage. If you want to eliminate the unsightly appearance of the hooks, it is advisable to choose a version with hidden attachments that rests on crowns or bridges on which a small cylinder is placed on which to attach a part of the removable prosthesis. Still talking about a possible alternative to a dental implant, it must also be said that the lack of a single tooth could also be solved by using a fixed ceramic bridge prosthesis. In this case the bridge rests on the neighboring teeth and guarantees excellent aesthetics. In these cases, however, it is necessary to first file two or more teeth close to the lost one. In some cases it will even be necessary to proceed with devitalization.

Pros:

  • Saves the patient from undergoing the surgical procedure - transplant.
  • When the adjacent teeth are not healthy teeth we can also give them a therapeutic solution at the same time.

Cons:

  • When the bone in the place where a tooth is missing remains dysfunctional, over the years this bone is absorbed and this can be a problem in the future aesthetically and food accumulation.
  • If in the future there is a problem with one of the teeth, the entire bridge must usually be lowered.
  • Damage to healthy teeth if nearby teeth do not need treatment

What is a dental bridge?