Non-Urgent Tooth Replacement: Why You Should Wait Until You Can Afford Dental Implants
ShareHave you lost a tooth and want it replaced? You want to have dental implants but are concerned about the cost, and understandably so. You are thinking that maybe you should just settle for a cheaper option.
This article will help you out of your dilemma. It highlights the options at your disposal and explains why dental implants remain your best option, despite the cost.
Dentures
These will give you a temporary solution but are uncomfortable and unstable. They will also affect your speech and your eating. You also have to remove them for cleaning and when you go to bed.
Worst of all, they will not stop bone loss. Over time, your jawbone will sink and your face will get disfigured.
Dental Bridges
This is a tooth replacement option where a replacement tooth is secured in place using wires. These are anchored on adjacent good teeth. In this option, the adjacent teeth may be ground to create room for the replacement tooth.
Also, they may be weakened as they are used to secure the replacement tooth.
Although dental bridges are a better option than dentures but are still not the best.
Like dentures, they do not affect the jawbone structure. This means that your jawbone underneath the replacement tooth will continue to shrink.
Dental implants
In dental implants, your dental surgeon will install a piece of metal through your gum into your jawbone. The replacement tooth is then fitted onto this metal. This way, the implant mimics the natural functioning of your tooth.
The piece of metal acts as the root of your tooth. As a result, it stimulates bone growth and restores your functions to normal. You will be able to talk eat, sleep and clean your teeth just as you did before. The only downside to dental implants is that they are a little pricey. This is not to say that they are out of reach.
As you can see, you have various tooth replacement options at your disposal. However, the choice you make have long-term consequences that may be difficult to reverse.
If you go for dentures or bridges, be ready to lose bone mass around your jaws. Once this starts, it will be hard to arrest and only a bone-graft surgery may help.
Dentures and dental bridges are useful as short-term measures, in case you need urgent tooth replacement. But as a long-term measure, consider getting dental implants from an experienced dental practice. With proper financial planning, you too can get dental implants. It's well worth the wait. To learn more, contact a dental office like Brandywine Dental Care.