Find yourself feeling like a kid again this Christmas, wishing Santa could bring you new teeth? Many adults struggle with tooth loss as they age, which can unfortunately lead to a host of other issues, such as misalignment, discomfort, embarrassment and even poor nutrition. That doesn’t have to be the case, though, and you don’t even need holiday magic to restore your smile after tooth loss. A trip to the dentist for a prosthetic can help complete your smile and restore your confidence, so you can get to more important things than worrying about missing teeth, like spending time with your grandest gifts of all.

Which Prosthetic Is Right for You?

Dentures are often the first thing that comes to mind for many people, when they think about tooth replacement. And while both partial and full dentures remain popular choices, they are not the only prosthetic or way of coping with tooth loss.

For many patients, the added stability of a dental bridge makes them idea. A bridge is created by anchoring a replacement tooth with two crowns, which are affixed to teeth adjacent to the gap. This can create a beautiful and stable form of smile restoration when only one or a few teeth are missing, and it is particularly useful if the missing tooth is highly visible, since crowns are made to closely match existing teeth.

The most stable and permanent form of smile restoration, however, is a dental implant. This is the most invasive form of prosthetic, because it requires first surgically inserting a titanium post into the jawline. But this post is able to hold a replacement tooth firmly in place, providing patients with excellent comfort and confidence while speaking and chewing. For patients whose gums and jaw are healthy enough to support an implant, this is often the ideal form of coping with tooth loss.