If you’ve lost a tooth, it’s a good idea to educate yourself on the different options for tooth replacement, such as dental implants and a crown and bridge. Both are wonderful options for replacing a missing tooth. When your smile lacks all its intended teeth, it can leave you feeling a dip in your confidence or embarrassment with the appearance of your smile. With a dental implant or crown and bridge, you can restore your smile and begin feeling great about your smile again. Philadelphia dentist Dr. Len Tau can help you determine which restorative option best suits your unique needs.
We’re happy to set you up with an appointment to meet with Dr. Tau, so he can help you regain confidence in your smile. Schedule your appointment today by calling our Philadelphia, PA office. Call 215-791-8615.
Before diving into which option fits your needs, it’s important to understand the basics of a tooth. Teeth have two main components, the root of the tooth and the crown. The root is exactly what it sounds like; it holds the tooth in its correct position and sits securely below the gum line. The crown is the visible part and is covered by enamel, which acts as a protective coating surrounding the tooth.
When you’re missing a tooth, either replacement option solves the problem at hand, but which option should you go with?
Dental Implant
A dental implant will leave you with a natural-looking replacement tooth that is fully functional. This means you shouldn’t experience any trouble speaking or eating with an implant. Dr. Tau will begin this procedure by inserting a biocompatible titanium base into your jawbone. We understand that this may sound a bit scary, however, once the dental implant process is complete, you’ll be left with a permanent replacement that looks and acts just like your original tooth. Before Dr. Tau can place the crown portion of the implant, he will need to ensure that the base as healed completely in your jawbone. Once he’s sure of this, he will place a porcelain crown on top of the base. This crown will match the rest of your smile, so there’s no need to worry about this tooth standing out from the others.
With this procedure, you will need about 4-6 months to recover from the placement of the titanium base in your bone. Your jawbone will remain healthy, and you may even end up forgetting that you ever lost a tooth in the first place! Although this is the more permanent option, it is more expensive and time consuming in the long run. You won’t experience any shifting of your teeth though, and you will have chosen a permanent solution for fixing your missing tooth.
Crown and Bridge
By choosing the combination of a crown and bridge, you will be choosing the less expensive option. Saving money is always a perk, but remember that a crown and bridge will need more maintenance and/ or replacement in the long-term, unlike an implant. Although this option isn’t permanent and requires more long-term maintenance, it does allow for a quicker solution for fixing your missing tooth. A bridge is used to cover the gap that is created from a missing tooth. To begin this procedure, Dr. Tau will place two crowns around the gap, on the healthy teeth on either side. The bridge is the prosthetic tooth that is connected to the two crowns and sits over the place where your tooth was lost.
Not only is this alternative method less expensive and produces faster results than a dental implant, but it will also guarantee that your teeth won’t shift. The bridge will stabilize the adjacent teeth to prevent them from drifting into the gap, which could upset your alignment and bite. A crown and bridge may feel unusual at first, but you will quickly get used to this new feeling and enjoy the benefits of having a tooth back in that open space.