When you visit a dental office, you may hear your dentist talking about a prosthesis, a dental appliance designed to replace a missing tooth or cover a damaged tooth.
These appliances include crowns, bridges, veneers, dentures and dental implants in Oshawa. Some, like crowns and bridges, are non-removable and are permanently fitted in your mouth. Others, like dentures, can be removable.
Why Is It Important to Restore or Replace Missing Teeth?
When a tooth is damaged, it is important to restore it quickly before the damage can worsen. A prosthesis will protect the tooth and ensure it feels comfortable and pain-free.
Your teeth are designed to work together, so when one or more is missing, it affects your remaining natural teeth. Replacing missing teeth ensures your remaining teeth cannot shift position, restoring your appearance and ability to eat properly.
Read on if you’d like to learn more about each dental prosthesis and how it can help your oral health in Whitby.
Dental Crowns
A crown covers or caps a tooth, so none of its original structure is visible. The crown fits over the tooth right down to the gumline and is cemented in place. It is designed to protect teeth that are damaged by trauma or decay. We may also recommend a dental crown if you receive root canal therapy in Whitby.
Once the crown is in place, it restores the shape, size, and overall structure of the original tooth underneath and its strength.
Dental Bridges
A traditional dental bridge bridges the gap left by a missing tooth. It consists of crowns that are fitted over the teeth adjacent to the gap, called abutment teeth. A replacement tooth called a pontic is attached in between the crowns. The entire prosthesis is permanently cemented onto the teeth.
Dental Veneers
A dental veneer is a less obvious form of prosthesis, consisting of a thin shell of material, normally porcelain, that covers the front surface of a tooth. Porcelain veneers in Ajax are used to cover teeth that may be discoloured. They can also mend tiny cracks or chips in teeth and generally improve the overall appearance of a tooth. Veneers are permanently cemented onto teeth.
Dentures
Dentures can replace several teeth in an arch or an entire arch of teeth. They are removable prostheses with an acrylic gum-coloured base supporting the replacement denture teeth. Partial dentures that replace only a few teeth in an arch tend to be strengthened with metal and have clasps fitting around existing teeth for extra support and stability.
Dental Implants
A dental implant is inserted into the jawbone, acting like a natural tooth root. Once the implant is in the bone, it stays there permanently, becoming firmly fused in place over several months as new bone grows around it.
Implants can replace one or multiple teeth or an entire arch using prostheses that may be fixed or removable. Dental implant crowns and bridges are non-removable, and these are screwed or cemented onto the implants, remaining permanently in place. Dental implant dentures are removable but clip onto the implants so they are held firmly in place while in the mouth.
How to Choose the Right Prosthesis?
If you have damaged or failing teeth, we may recommend some form of dental prosthesis to repair or replace them. When you visit Margolian Dentistry, our dentist can talk with you to discover your aims for treatment before discussing all suitable options.
You will learn about the different materials available for each choice, the treatment process, and the costs. Your choice may depend on whether you wish to have surgery, for example, to insert dental implants in your jawbone or would prefer a solution that is quicker and doesn’t need oral surgery.
