The beauty of modern replacement teeth is that, regardless of how many teeth you’ve lost and where they were positioned in your mouth, there is a replacement option for restoring your smile’s beauty and function. In the case of dentures, which were among the first prosthetic dentistry designs in history, the conventional prostheses were originally intended to replace an entire row of teeth. However, modern dentures, which now can be complete or partial, can be custom-designed to replace only the teeth that are missing while helping you preserve the ones that remain.
What if I’ve only lost some of my teeth, but not all of them?
In times past, patients who lost a significant amount of teeth one or both dental ridges had to wait until the rest of their teeth were lost before their dentures could be placed. To expedite the process, some would simply have them extracted. Today, however, partial tooth loss can be rectified with partial dentures, which are crafted to fit around your existing teeth while restoring the empty spaces in your smile.
Can partial dentures be secured on dental implants, too?
One of modern dentistry’s contributions to dentures is the advent of dental implants, which are titanium posts that replace your lost teeth’s roots when inserted into your jawbone. Partial dentures can also be secured on an appropriate number of implants, and may be used in conjunction with implant-supported crowns, depending on your specific tooth loss pattern.
How can dental implants help me preserve my remaining teeth?
When a tooth root is lost, your jawbone will gradually lose some of its density, growing weaker and less able to retain the rest of your teeth. This phenomenon, known as jawbone deterioration, can lead to further tooth loss down the line. Since dental implants replace your lost teeth’s roots, they can also help stem the resulting jawbone loss, and thereby reduce the risks of future tooth loss and the need for complete dentures.
ABOUT YOUR SHREWSBURY DENTISTS:
At Modern Dentistry, Todd A. Pizzi, DDS, and Luciana Messina, DDS, are dedicated to providing high-quality cosmetic, restorative, and preventive dentistry services to patients and families in Shrewsbury, Worcester, North and South Grafton, Westborough, Southborough, Northborough, Boylston, Hopkinton, Millbury, and all surrounding communities. To schedule your next appointment, contact our office by calling (508) 842-6356 today.
