| Effects of Tooth Loss Oral Surgeon Dallas  Tooth loss can affect us at any stage of life. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 7% of teenagers aged 17 years old have lost at least one tooth due to tooth decay alone. This percentage increases as the age bracket rises, with multiple tooth loss being more common. Luckily, at Dallas Oral Surgery Associates we have a cost-effective treatment. With multiple tooth implants, we can bring back that missing smile you have lost.Why Replace Teeth?Ideally, all removed teeth should be replaced with a prosthetic. When there is a missing tooth on the gums, a small hole is left there which might gather bacteria and possibly become infected. While the chances of this happening are quite low with single teeth, it gradually increases as more teeth are lost. This, and a decreased capacity to chew or smile can lower your quality of life. What makes the most impact, however, is when the front teeth are removed. For these patients, they could lose the confidence that they used to have before the loss. The more teeth they have missing, the more noticeable the change in their smile and face. How Are Teeth Replaced?At Dallas Oral Surgery Associates, we use two kinds of prosthetics in order to replace multiple sets of teeth: dentures and dental implants. Dentures are replaceable, removable, and custom-fit dental prosthetics that we mold into your mouth to make a solid fit. These come in two forms, partial and complete. Most partial dentures are either stuck to a covering that is fit on the roof of your mouth, or on to your other teeth, similar to dental bridges. While dentures are inexpensive to place, they are also much weaker than your natural teeth. Bridge-type dentures are also much weaker when they replace multiple teeth in succession. They may also need maintenance and regular replacement as the bindings and dental glue might come loose over time. On the other hand, dental implants are the stronger but more expensive alternative. These are permanently inserted into your jaw and are as durable as your natural teeth. Implants do not come loose because each one has a strong anchor called a dental post which can support up to two replacement teeth on its own. When we replace more than these, we typically add in two implants to make an implant-supported bridge, similar to that of a dental prosthetic, but are more durable because of the jaw. However, not everyone can have dental implants. You need to have a strong jawbone that can handle the stress of dental implants. You should also have proper oral health; placing an implant in a periodontitis-ridden mouth can cause the infection to travel to the jaw. Lastly, your jawbone should be close enough for us to reach for it. Normally, as teeth disappear, the tips of the jawbone called the alveolar ridge tends to get reabsorbed into the body, effectively shrinking it. On the other hand, we can still help you get dentures by placing grafts on your jawbones and cleaning your mouth. By taking a visit to Dallas Oral Surgery Associates, we can give you our expert recommendations so you can have the perfect smile that you deserve. Or, if you prefer, you can also call us at 214-363-9946 to schedule an appointment with us today! |
