Single Tooth Replacement Options

If you are missing just one tooth, there are three options for tooth replacement:

  • Partial denture
  • Dental bridge
  • Dental implant
  • Partial denture
  • Dental bridge
  • Dental implant

A partial denture is a traditional option for replacing lost teeth. The partial denture is a plastic or metal base that fits into your mouth. The replacement tooth is attached to this base, and the entire thing is braced by hooks, clasps, or other anchoring structures that go around your natural teeth. This tooth replacement option has the most limitations. It doesn’t let you bite and chew normally, it can be uncomfortable, and it can be hard to keep clean. Worst case scenario is that this can potentially lead to more lost teeth.

A dental bridge uses your natural teeth as supports for a replacement tooth. The bridge consists of two dental crowns that go over your natural teeth to secure the replacement tooth between them. A dental bridge lets you bite and chew normally, and in the right situation is a great tooth replacement choice.

A dental implant uses an artificial tooth root that attaches to your jawbone. The replacement crown is attached to this tooth root. This lets you bite and chew normally, and it can work anywhere you have enough bone to support the implant. Plus, it doesn’t rely on neighboring teeth for support, so it doesn’t cause them extra stress.

Multiple Tooth Replacement

illustration showing dental implant and dental crownIf you have several teeth together that need to be replaced, there are usually two options:

  • Partial Denture
  • Dental Implants

A partial denture can replace many teeth as easily as it replaces one. In fact, many people have the same denture and add teeth to them as they lose more teeth.

Dental implants can be used to replace any number of missing teeth. The tooth replacement option is usually set up as a dental bridge, with some crowns on dental implants supporting artificial teeth between them. Dental implant bridges are highly successful, letting you bite and chew normally with a full set of attractive teeth.

Dental bridges supported by your natural teeth are not recommended for more than one missing tooth because longer bridges can put too much stress on the supporting teeth.

Entire Arch Replacement

If you’ve lost or are losing all the teeth in an arch, you have a few different options to choose from, including:

  • Traditional dentures
  • FOY® Dentures
  • Implant-supported snap-in dentures
  • Fixed-in full-arch new teeth
  • Traditional dentures
  • FOY® Dentures
  • Implant-supported snap-in dentures
  • Fixed-in full-arch new teeth

illustration of dental implants showing a dental bridge

Traditional dentures are one of the oldest tooth replacement options. They are better than nothing, but not by much. Traditional dentures are poorly fitting, uncomfortable, and may lead to accelerated bone loss.

FOY® Dentures use an advanced fitting process to make the dentures more comfortable and healthy. They let you bite and chew better, plus they can have a rejuvenating effect, which is why they’re called the Denture Fountain of Youth®.

Traditional dentures and FOY® Dentures can be improved using dental implants. Dental implants can secure your dentures so you can get better bite force and don’t have to worry as much about your dentures coming out of place. You can either choose to have these as removable snap-in dentures or as fixed-in full arch dentures. The fixed-in replacement teeth are slightly more secure and give better bite force, but both are good options.

illustration of implant dentures
illustration of implant dentures

Find the Best Tooth Replacement in Montgomery County

If you’re looking to replace your missing teeth, you might find the numerous options confusing. You might not be able to decide which is the best option for you. Fortunately, you don’t have to make the decision alone. Dr. Ken Seigel has over 35 years of experience helping people in Montgomery County replace missing teeth to help them live better, healthier, and happier lives.

To talk to Dr. Siegel about your tooth replacement options, please call (610) 272-0828 today for an appointment at Dental Excellence of Blue Bell.