Dental Implants, Bridges and Dentures

Dental Implants, Bridges, and Dentures Cottleville, MO

If your teeth are missing or damaged, you have options. At Brown Family Dental Care, we offer implants, bridges, partials, and dentures. There are pros and cons to any of these options, so it is important to understand them to ensure you are making the best choice.

Perhaps the best possible way to replace a single missing tooth is an implant. An implant is a metal screw that is carefully placed in the same spot as the previous tooth. After approximately three months of healing, an impression is taken and a crown can be made that is then attached using a smaller internal screw. A well-maintained implant in a healthy patient has the potential to be a lifelong solution. Implants allow for function and maintenance that is most like natural teeth.

Unlike many other dental procedures that rely on mechanical or chemical retention, an implant relies on healing for success. Every individual will not be a good candidate because of this. Systemic health problems that affect healing such as diabetes, osteoporosis, history of smoking, or prior implant failure can all result in a poor prognosis. There must also be adequate space and volume of bone in the desired area without the presence of risky anatomical structures. In these cases, it is recommended to consider other options.

Dental Bridges

If you're missing teeth, dental bridges are often a great solution. With a bridge, your existing teeth are used to create a literal bridge across the gap where the missing tooth is. To create a bridge, we'll start by using your existing teeth to establish abutments. This is where the bridge will be attached. Your teeth will be safely recontoured to create an appropriate base. This process is the same as having a tooth prepared for a crown, except for a bridge is two teeth prepared adjacent to a space. With the abutments prepared, an impression will be taken.

This impression will be sent to a dental lab to craft a bridge that precisely matches the shape and contour of your mouth. While we wait for the lab to create your bridge, you will have a temporary bridge to protect the abutments and exposed gum. 

When the permanent bridge is finished, we'll schedule a second appointment to place it. The bridge must be secured to the abutments with a cement. It can take some time to get used to your new bridge, but most people adapt within a few days. Avoiding sticky food is recommended for a few days, but then you can eat as normal.

Partial Denture “Partials”

For patients who are missing a significant number of teeth, crowns and bridges in many cases will become cost prohibitive. For these patients, the best option may be partial dentures. Partial dentures are a removable appliance that is like a denture, except it uses healthy remaining teeth for support and retention.

Partials can have a metal or acrylic base with acrylic teeth that rest in any spaces where natural teeth are missing. Sometimes acrylic teeth can be added to partials in the event an additional natural tooth had to be extracted in the future. Partials are perhaps the most economical way to replace teeth, however they do need to be removed at night for cleaning and to allow the tissues of your mouth to rest. 

Complete and Immediate Dentures

When there are no longer enough remaining teeth to use strategically, or the prognosis is so poor that no long-term benefit can be achieved, dentures are the final option. Having appropriate expectations for dentures is of paramount importance. Dentures are not a replacement for your teeth, but a replacement for not having teeth. At first, some patients find dentures strange or even uncomfortable. Dentures have a base that comes in a natural pink color, which is placed over your gums. For some people, it feels bulky or like there's not enough room for their tongue. For other patients, the fitting can feel loose. It may feel different to talk or eat for a while.

However, with patience and time, patients adapt to dentures. Your mouth will get used to eating and speaking, and most of our patients report that the dentures feel more natural over time. While dentures will never feel completely like natural teeth, most patients prefer them over not having any teeth at all.

Be sure to brush your dentures to remove plaque and food particles. Dentures should be stored in room-temperature water or a denture-cleaning solution at night. Hot water is not recommended because it can warp the material. Dentures are delicate, which means they should be handled with care.

Dentures may need to be adjusted over time, and these adjustments should always be done by the trained dental team at Brown Family Dental Care. We want to know if your dentures feel uncomfortable or loose, and we'll help find the best solution.

Understand the Types of Dentures

Complete Full Dentures

Before getting dentures, most people need to have their remaining teeth removed. Once the teeth have been removed, it will take time for the gums to heal. For most patients, this healing period lasts just a few months, with the majority occurring in the first 4-6 weeks. You won't be fitted for complete full dentures until that time, which could mean a few months without teeth.

Immediate Full Dentures

If you don't want to wait for your dentures, immediate full dentures are an option. With immediate full dentures, we'll have the dentures fitted for your mouth prior to tooth removal. Then, upon removal, the dentures can be placed immediately, and you won't be without teeth for any period. In many cases it can be a benefit to remove the back teeth first, allow for healing and then begin the immediate denture process. By doing this, the lab will have less area to estimate. Labs must estimate what tissues will look like without teeth, and can have a better approximation if the back teeth are already healed.

Follow-up visits are imperative with immediate full dentures. Your jawbone will recontour and change shape as your mouth heals, and your dentures will likely need to be adjusted and tightened during this initial period.

We'll be there for you as you find the best replacement option. We're committed to your care, and we take pride in finding a way for you to smile at Brown Family Dental Care.