How can I replace my missing tooth?
Teeth are lost either due to accident, disease, habits, failed restorative treatments or the ageing process when there is wear and tear.
Edentulous or missing teeth spaces have to be replaced in order to restore form and function. The loss of even one tooth in your jaw has far reaching effects . Imbalance in the chewing pattern, the stress on the remaining teeth, migration of adjacent teeth into these gaps changes in facial contours – all these are potential risks and can cause many complications.
Gaps between teeth can be restored with removable partial denture, a fixed bridge if there are sufficient teeth to support or by today’s most popular method of choice, the Dental Implant.
What if I lost a tooth due to cavities?
My tooth has been shaking for a long time and just came out today while eating something soft. Can I still save it?
This situation sounds like chronic gum (periodontal) disease. These types of teeth cannot be re-implanted back into the socket. They need to be replaced with a dental implant, crown or bridge. The Acharya Dental team will ensure that you are educated on proper oral hygiene techniques including tooth brushing and flossing to ensure that you don’t lose any more teeth and your replacement teeth serve you for a long time to come.
We will also check that your blood sugar levels are within normal limits in case you are a diabetic, as high blood sugar levels are strongly linked to gum disease.
I lost a back tooth, but it doesn’t bother me. Do I need to get it replaced?
- Your chewing efficiency may become reduced due to this missing tooth. It may take longer to chew food.
- The teeth on either side of the missing tooth will tend to grow into the space previously occupied by the missing tooth, leading to a permanent change in your bite.
- The teeth opposite the missing tooth will tend to grow into the space previously occupied by the missing tooth, also leading to permanent changes in your bite.
- The opposite teeth and the teeth on either side of the missing tooth may develop open contacts. This can lead to dental caries of adjacent and opposite teeth.
What are my options to replace missing teeth?
- Dental crowns, if a portion of the tooth root still remains.
- Dental implants, where a titanium insert is placed in the jaw bone and ceramic teeth are attached to this insert.
- Bridges can be used to replace missing teeth by using the adjacent teeth as a means of support.
- Dentures are removable devices that can replace missing teeth. They are made of acrylic and rest on the gum tissue directly.
- In some cases, a tooth from one location can be transplanted to another location in the mouth. For example, a wisdom tooth or 3rd molar is not considered a very critical tooth for function and esthetics, and can be transplanted to the 2nd molar site.
How soon should I replace a missing tooth?
The sooner the better. The earlier you can show the spaces with missing teeth in your mouth to our trained team, the faster we can replace them for you. This is because if a tooth is just recently lost, not many regressive changes would have taken place yet and the ease and cost of replacing these missing teeth is minimal.
What is the cost to replace a missing tooth?