Having to take out a tooth is never a pleasant experience. Sometimes the tooth or the gum becomes rotten, and there’s no saving the tooth. People who do not visit their dentist regularly can put up with discomfort, pain, and other sicknesses caused by a tooth that needs extraction. However, it prevents much more pain if, at the first sign of teeth trouble, people visit their dental specialist.
Getting an early diagnosis of any oral issue gives you the best chance of saving a tooth with treatment. If the tooth must be pulled, then it prevents prolonged discomfort such as swollen and bleeding gums caused by infection. When the tooth is removed, you have to consider how to plug that gap.
A bridge
The quickest option is to have a dental bridge. A plastic or ceramic tooth is attached to the teeth either side of the gap. Inside the outer cover, there is a metal framework, and it is this framework that is attached to the natural healthy teeth supporting the bridge.
This is a good option for those looking for a quick, relatively unobtrusive solution to a gap in the front of your teeth. There is no surgery required, just a fixing of the bridge to your teeth. The cement used should harden sufficiently within the day.
Some dentists will recommend that you do not drink extremely hot or cold drinks directly after a fitting. Also, they will tell you to avoid chewy food. You shouldn’t immediately go for a very sticky toffee. However, after a day, your fitting should be strong enough to tackle most of the food and drink you enjoyed before.
All that’s needed to get a bridge is waiting for the bridge to be created from a lab. Normally, a dentist will send your details for your false tooth to the lab, and it would take a few weeks or less to be sent to the dentist. This is much faster than more permanent options such as dental implants. It’s also a lot cheaper than dental implants.
Dental implants
Dental implants are permanent. They can last 20 years or over if they are taken care of, and you have a good oral hygiene regimen. They are very strong, look very natural, and stimulate the jawbone, which prevents bone loss in the area where the natural teeth once were.
However, dental implants take at least a couple of months to fit. First, a titanium implant has to be screwed into the jawbone, and the surrounding tissue and bone have to heal around it. During this healing time, the patient wears a temporary cap over the screw, which is replaced with a permanent crown when the tissue and bone have secured the screw or rod in place.
This could take as long as six months for the whole process to complete. However, once done, you have the strongest and most natural-looking tooth replacements available.
Choosing whether you have a dental bridge or implant will depend predominantly on where you lose your tooth and on cost. A bridge is typically placed at the front of your teeth, while back teeth, which take a lot of punishment, are more suited to implants. What is definite is that you should seek help at the soonest possible time if you have a toothache or other dental issue.
