Your Tooth Replacement Options
posted: Feb. 19, 2020.
When you lose teeth, everything changes: how you speak, bite, chew and look. Also, your self-confidence suffers as you struggle to cover a less than perfect smile. At Alexandria Smiles Dentistry, Dr. Moutaz Abdeen and his caring team understand your feelings. They offer an impressive menu of tooth replacement options, including dental implants, right in their Alexandria office. They'll help you determine what's best for you.
Tooth loss in America
It's so common. Gum disease and decay are the usual culprits, reports the National Institute of Craniofacial Research. With missing teeth come bone and gum resorption and facial changes which make you look and feel older than you are. In addition, any remaining teeth invariably move toward smile gaps, ruining dental alignment.
If possible, tooth replacement planning must start even before dental extractions. Quick action reduces changes in tooth positions and jaw bone integrity. Dr. Abdeen shows his patients what options would work best.
Tooth replacement choices
After examining your teeth, gums, and bone structure, Dr. Abdeen may offer one or more of the following:
- A partial denture, composed of acrylic replacement teeth affixed to a metal frame and clasps
- Immediate full dentures, placed directly after extraction to create a complete smile and speed healing of gums and bone
- Full conventional dentures which stay in place with the mouth's own suction
- Implant-supported dentures which replace several or even an entire arch of teeth and are retained with titanium implants
- Single-tooth implants, consisting of one titanium screw, or root, a metal post and custom-made porcelain crown
Dental implants are today's most popular choice because they are super-stable and actually improve jaw bone size and density. Special three-dimensional imaging techniques tell Dr. Abdeen if you have sufficient bone in your jaw to accept dental implants.
If you do, a simple oral surgery inserts the implants which fuse to the jaw bone through osseointegration. After two to six months, the implants accept posts and crowns, giving patients unparalleled oral function, ease of care, and longevity, states the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.
All tooth replacements require diligent at-home care and six-months check-ups and cleanings at Alexandria Smiles Dentistry. Conventional tooth replacements last about a decade, but implants last a lifetime.
Learn your tooth replacement options
Contact Alexandria Smile Dentistry in Alexandria,VA, for a tooth replacement consultation with Dr. Moutaz Abdeen. He'll be happy to guide you through the process and give you a strong, beautiful smile. Phone us today at (703) 671-0626.