Teeth are important. They help us eat, chew and give us our personalised smile. So what do you do if you find a gap or space in your teeth? The gap in your teeth maybe due to loosing a tooth from tooth decay, a fracture or an infection. Or simply a space may have opened up in your teeth over time. This is not uncommon with our aging population.
Now just because you have a gap does not mean you have to close it. Many people have a natural gap between their two upper teeth called a diastema and are quite happy to leave it alone. But if you are not happy with a gap in your teeth then there are options you may want to consider.
In the past common approaches to such a problem were removable dentures or a fixed bridge option. Removable dentures are the most cost effective option however as the denture is not fixed to your natural teeth the denture will experience some movement. Some people can tolerate this but others find the movement difficult when eating and talking. That being said a denture is still a good viable option to closing a gap in your teeth.
A fixed bridge option is the next step up, however the teeth on which the bridge sits, have to be cut back for the bridge to fit. Depending on the amount of sound tooth structure of the adjacent teeth, this could be detrimental to these teeth in the future. One thing to keep in mind is that since the teeth are fixed together, good oral hygiene is imperative. Daily flossing underneath the bridge is necessary to prevent food getting trapped, which can ultimately lead to failure of the bridge in the future. If one lacks the manual dexterity required to floss sufficiently underneath the bridge this option is not recommended.
Nowadays in our modern society we are able to recommend treatments such as a single dental implant or an implant bridge. A dental implant in a screw like structure commonly made from titanium that is inserted into the jaw bone. A crown is then attached to the implant at a later date. The suitability of implants is dependent on one’s bone type, width and height. To ensure the high success in dental implants it is imperative to plan treatments down to the finest details, such as working with the patient’s health status, performing health modifications such as the cessation of smoking and controlling diabetes just to name a few. These cutting edge treatments provide you with false teeth most likely to resemble natural teeth. The longevity of this treatment option has been proven time and time again to withstand the stresses of the oral cavity.
If you are interested in finding out more information please contact one of our friendly team members at Sublime Dental.