I’ve been reading a lot of dental websites to try and get a better smile. Yours has some good information. Here are my problems. I know my teeth are showing their age and will need to be whitened. I also have had a dental bridge since I was fifteen. I can see the area looks a little different and, after reading about tooth loss, wonder if I need some bone grafting there. I’m also thinking one of the teeth that holds the bridge is coming a bit loose. Should I replace that with a dental implant? How do I find someone who can do all of this?
Emily
Dear Emily,
I’ll start with the teeth whitening because that is the easy part. Almost any dentist can do that. Plus, you’ll want to whiten your teeth before you make any changes in your dental work so that you can make sure the new dental work will match the lovely brighter color you end up with. If you are in a hurry to get onto the other work, Zoom whitening will allow you to whiten your teeth in one dental appointment.
If your anchor tooth (one of the two teeth that are helping to support your dental bridge) is coming loose, then you will want to replace that. Some teeth are better suited to being anchor teeth than others. Biting and twisting forces when you eat have a big impact on that. I would replace that tooth with a dental implant. In fact, you can can also replace the original missing tooth with a dental implant at the same time. If your other anchor tooth is fine, then you can just get a dental crown for that tooth. It’s almost always best to keep as many natural teeth as possible.
You are correct that when teeth have been missing for a while that the bone in that area begins to shrink. This is because your body resorb the minerals in that area to use elsewhere in your body where they are still needed to support things. Bone grafting will fix that.
Look for a dentist who has post-doctoral training in placing dental implants. You can generally find that in the dentist bio on their website. Then, when you meet with the dentist, ask them about their success rate. If it is anything less than 95%, find another dentist to do the procedure.
This blog is brought to you by compassionate dentists in Lafayette, LA, Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.