Losing a tooth can be a traumatic experience. It can affect the way you speak and eat. It can also affect the way you look. Fortunately, modern dentistry offers many treatment options for replacing missing teeth.

Dental Bridges

A dental bridge is made up of two or more crowns fused together to replace missing teeth. The false teeth of the bridge are anchored to dental crowns on each side of a space in the mouth. These anchors are secured to existing healthy teeth and serve as stable supports for the replacement teeth.

There are three primary benefits to having a dental bridge: improved appearance, improved bite function, and restored tooth structure. A missing tooth creates a gap that opens the mouth and creates a bad bite alignment. This changes the shape of the mouth and also creates problems with chewing, speech, and oral hygiene. Even a single missing tooth can cause these problems. By filling the space with a bridge, a dentist can resolve these symptoms while also improving the appearance of the smile.

Dental Implants

When one or more teeth are missing, dental implants are an excellent tooth-replacement option. Dental implants are small titanium posts that replace the missing roots. The implants are then capped with natural-looking restorations such as dental crowns. With proper care, your dental implant can last for the rest of your life! Every restoration is custom-made to fit your smile perfectly, giving you a beautiful and healthy-looking smile.

Dentures

Both full dentures and partial dentures are removable appliances that can replace missing teeth and help restore your smile's beauty, function, and health. You can think of them like puzzle pieces – you need all of the teeth in both your upper and lower jaws to create a complete set of teeth replacements. If you only need to replace a few teeth, your dentist may recommend a partial denture instead. Full dentures can be used to replace a full arch of teeth (top or bottom jaw). Partial dentures replace a group of teeth in a row on the upper or lower arch.

A full set of dentures consists of an upper and lower denture plate with artificial teeth in between. The false teeth are set in a gum-colored acrylic base that looks like gum tissue. Dentures are held in place by natural suction between the gums and the plates. They can also be held in place with dental implants for additional stability. If a patient chooses to use implants to hold their dentures in place, they will still need to wear their complete set of dentures at night to sleep and remove them during the day to eat and clean their teeth. Implants can only be used to support upper or lower jaw bone dentures, not both. Additionally, implant-supported dentures cannot be taken out of the mouth for cleaning as they are permanently attached to the implant posts.

A partial denture is a removable appliance crafted to fit around the remaining natural teeth. They look much more like real teeth than the removable full dentures do because they are designed to blend in with your remaining healthy teeth. They are held in place by clasps that attach to the surrounding teeth. When they are not being worn, the patient can take them out to clean them and store them in a clean, cool place.

At Kusek Family & Implant Dentistry, we offer a full range of services in a relaxed dental environment. To learn more about our dental services or to schedule your consultation with one of our dentists, call us at 605-371-3443 or visit us at 4921 E. 26th St., Suite 1, Sioux Falls, SD 57110.