Dental implants are not just limited to replacing an individual missing tooth. Instead, we could use several to secure a dental bridge or even a partial set of dentures. In today’s blog, your Conroe, TX, dentist talks about how we can use implant technology to offer a fixed set of partial dentures or a long-lasting dental bridge.
The Benefits
Dental implants offer a 98% success rate at the ten-year mark, and can help protect the smile from the complications of tooth loss, including losing additional teeth and suffering from an aged appearance due to the loss of mass and density in the jawbone. In fact, this is why removable dentures and bridges often need to be removed every few years. The jaw ridge changes shape as it loses mass and density, because the body will no longer send regular doses of calcium and phosphates to the areas around missing tooth roots. But the implant portion is made from biocompatible titanium, and acts as a new root. The body resumes the flow of nutrients, and your smile is preserved!
Bridging the Gap
For a dental bridge, we will create a prosthetic that looks natural and fits comfortably, consisting of new teeth with crowns on one or both ends. One to two dental implants will be carefully inserted into the jaw, at the perfect angle and option to support your new prosthetic. Abutments are then added to the posts, and we use these to connect the crown portion of the bridge. Your new teeth are then secured firmly in place, and you can enjoy a ridge that lasts for decades as opposed to 10 to 15 years. A great solution for this with one to four lost teeth in a row.
Partial Prosthetics
If you have minor tooth loss, but have several gaps spread out across your smile, this could be too complicated to treat with a simple dental bridge. Instead, you need a denture with teeth spread out to fit in these gaps. A partial denture accomplishes this, with the teeth set in an acrylic base that looks like gum tissue. Again, we insert dental posts and attach the prosthetic to them. This could help prevent the need for a full prosthetic down the road, and help you enjoy a fixed option that never skips and can last far longer than traditional removable options.
If you have any questions about using dental implants to support dental bridges or partial dentures, then contact our team today.
Do You Have Questions About Replacing Missing Teeth?
If you want to learn more about replacing your missing teeth with an implant-secured prosthetic, then contact The Dental Centre of Conroe in Conroe, TX by calling 936-441-4600 and schedule your next appointment with our team today.