It’s the weekend, and you and your friends decide to go out and have a couple drinks. Then, like always, a couple drinks turn to a couple more and maybe you are having a blast and that is fine. But then the next morning you wake up and you feel that your mouth is sore. You feel a weird gap in your mouth, a gap where your tooth should be! So you pull the covers off of you and panic, you rush while stumbling to the bathroom, all the while you are still touching the gap in your mouth with your tongue. Then you reach the bathroom mirror and immediately smile and open your mouth and realize…. A MISSING TOOTH!!
Missing-Teeth-Problem

You panic and try and remember how this happened… even if you remember or don’t remember, it’s not like you can super glue your tooth back to the exact spot. So now you immediately remember your dentist and give them a call, text them, email them, you try every means of communication to reach your dentist….. because this is literally an emergency!

You get a hold of your dentist and they understand completely your situation and recommend you come in immediately. You rush to the dental practice and the dentist and his team take x-rays and see what can be done. Your wonderful dentist comes into the room after x-rays and seeing all possible ways to save your smile and they recommend: DENTAL IMPLANTS.

You think to yourself… “I’ve heard of dental implants… but is there any other option?” Then your dentist says “there are other options like a partial denture or a bridge, but a dental implant would be best.” Now you are thinking not just about your missing tooth but the price to replace this missing tooth.

OPTIONS
Options-For-Treating-Missing-Teeth
Which option is truly best for your missing tooth? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons for these three options.

Pros
Partial Dentures:

  • Replacing your missing tooth
  • Cost is lower than other options
  • Removable (could also be a negative)

Bridges:

  • Replacing missing tooth
  • Non-Removable
  • Covers gaps and spaces in teeth
  • Straightens crooked teeth

Dental Implants:

  • Replacing missing tooth
  • Preserves Natural Teeth
  • Provides a much more natural & superior appearance
  • Can NOT get a cavity on an implant!
  • Protects long term oral health.
  • Permanent Fixture
  • Able to chew on an apple (or any hard foods) again!

Let’s take a look at the cons of these three options:

Cons
Partial Dentures:

  • Very Uncomfortable
  • Visible (other people can see them)
  • They hang on to your other teeth
  • Sore Teeth and Gums
  • Bulky Acrylic on Your Palate and Gums
  • Re-alignments and adjustments are needed every 4-6months

Bridges:

  • You have to cut natural tooth structure of the adjacent teeth (the teeth next to the missing tooth) in order for it to fit.
  • An average lifespan is between 7 to 10 years.
  • Relies on other teeth for support of the bridge

Dental Implants:

  • It takes time for the implant to fuse with the jawbone, so it is not a fast fix but it is a permanent one.

CONCLUSION

So, what is the best option for your missing tooth? You can decide for yourself, but as for me, I love to eat apples and want a permanent fix. I do NOT want to have to keep going back to the dentist every year (on top of my yearly cleanings) to fix my partial denture, or bridge. I do NOT want to have to shave my other natural teeth in order to fix one missing tooth. If I do that then that means I would have to permanently adjust my whole natural smile to have a bridge fit, and once you shave your natural teeth you can NOT un-shave it!

I will go with DENTAL IMPLANTS for sure! It’s permanent. It preserves my other natural teeth. I do NOT have to worry about cavities on that tooth. And I can eat whatever I want!

Dental-Implants

Now you be the judge, put your-self in this scenario and which option would you choose, or maybe you are looking to replace a missing tooth and this scenario happened to you literally over the weekend, what option will you choose?