I won’t get into my embarrassing story about how I lost my two front teeth. How can I get missing front teeth fixed? I don’t have a regular dentist, so I want to find out the options before seeing a dentist who might try to take advantage of my situation. Thanks, Daryl J. from Minnesota
Daryl – Your options for replacing the teeth are a partial denture, a dental bridge, or dental implants.
An implant dentist will evaluate your medical and dental history and complete an oral exam and x-rays before recommending treatment. Your front teeth are involved, so you want a dentist with an artistic approach. We suggest that you find an experienced implant dentist who is also a creative cosmetic dentist because they will be well-qualified to perform either procedure.
Options for Replacing Missing Front Teeth
Dental implants are the most natural-looking tooth replacement
Options for replacing missing front teeth include a partial denture, a dental bridge, or an implant.
- Partial denture – It is the least expensive and least natural-looking option. A dentist will embed replacement teeth in a plastic base. The appliance clasps onto adjacent teeth. The clasps will stress your neighboring teeth over time.
- A dental bridge – A series of connected crowns replace your missing teeth. It requires shaving down the tooth on either side of the missing ones to accommodate the crown. The replacement tooth will be suspended between the two crowns. You can get beautiful crowns crafted to look like your natural teeth from a cosmetic dentist.
- Dental implant – This option requires no work on your adjacent teeth. An implant dentist or oral surgeon places implant screws in your jawbone. When the jawbone heals around the implants, your dentist will attach crowns to them. Implants can withstand biting forces, look natural, and can last a lifetime.
You can make appointments with a couple of cosmetic dentists to get their recommendations. After deciding which treatment you want, be sure to have the work completed by a cosmetic with advanced implant training or who partners with an oral surgeon. You will get natural-looking results.
Dr. Jerome Cha, a Tulsa, Oklahoma cosmetic dentist, sponsors this post.
