One missing tooth can throw your entire oral harmony out of whack, so there’s no question that you should have the tooth replaced. But as with most dental treatment, you have options. Dr. Monteagudo offers traditional crown and bridgework, commonly called a bridge, or single tooth replacement with a dental implant. Don’t let dental prosthetics intimidate you. We’re talking about your health and your mouth, so you should know the facts.
A dental bridge consists of a few replacement teeth connected together. In most cases, if you need a single tooth replaced, the bridge will feature two crowns with a solid replacement tooth between them. Why three teeth? The two end crowns fit onto the existing teeth on either side of the space left by your missing tooth. These two adjacent teeth are called abutment teeth, and the crowns are abutment crowns. To hold the non-removable (fixed) bridge in place, the abutment teeth are reduced and crowned with the abutment crowns. While the dental bridge has a long history of success, Dr. Monteagudo wants you to know about a more conservative option: the dental implant. (more…)
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Do you have one or more missing teeth in a row? This problem can negatively impact oral function, as well as self-confidence. Traditionally, dentists replace the teeth with a fixed bridge. A bridge consists of prosthetic teeth in a row, attached to crowns on either end. The crowns are called abutment crowns, and they attach to healthy abutment teeth on either side of the space left by missing teeth. In some cases, the natural abutment teeth are not strong enough or healthy enough to retain a bridge long term. In other situations, patients don’t want to crown healthy teeth to hold a bridge in place. Dr. Monteagudo offers Mini Dental Implant bridges as an alternative to the traditional crown and bridge.
Mini Dental Implants (MDIs) are very small, biocompatible screws placed into a few sockets where teeth are missing. The procedure does not require flap surgery because the unique design of MDIs allows for insertion into the jaw, directly through the gum tissue. Because the screws are made of biocompatible material, jawbone tissue naturally integrates with them to create a solid anchor for securing a bridge. (more…)
