Loss of a tooth or few teeth and failure to replace them, would lead to a chain of ill effects on the entire dentition. They can be:
Disturbances in surrounding teeth.
Psychological & social disturbances.
Changes in facial appearance.
Nutritional disturbances.
What is the impact of teeth loss on the psychology & social life of an individual?
The impact of teeth loss on the psychological aspect of an individual can be multiple.
Loss of self confidence;
Concerns about appearance and self image;
Tooth loss as a taboo subject which could not be discussed with other people;
Keeping tooth loss secret; the need for prosthodontic privacy
Behavior change;
Premature ageing;
What are the changes in facial appearance due to teeth loss?
Teeth support lips & cheek. So, when multiple teeth are lost, lips and cheek fall back & show sunken-in appearance.
Wrinkles appear on the face, facial structure collapses making the individual look far older than his age.
Loss of muscle tone & skin elasticity due to teeth loss also affects youthful appearance.
Due to multiple teeth loss, the supporting bone gets shrunken, which in turn reduces support to the cheek.
What are the effects of missing teeth on rest of the teeth?
Loss of one or few teeth can lead to a chain of ill effects on the entire dentition
The unprotected jaw ridge can get subjected to injury due to chewing forces.
The neighboring teeth tilt into the empty space. This destroys proper functional balance.
The drifted teeth create areas of food impaction. This can lead to consequences like: decay in the drifted & adjacent teeth.
Gum diseases can begin in these faulty contact areas.
Because of abnormal teeth drifting process, the supporting bone gets affected & shrinks. This makes teeth replacement in future difficult.
The remaining teeth are loaded with excessive chewing forces and are acting in direction that can be detrimental to the stability of rest of the teeth.
The teeth opposite to the space of missing teeth might supra erupt. That is, they might move towards the opposing empty space. In the long run this loosens the opposing teeth.
What are the various treatment procedures available to replace missing teeth?
Various methods to replace missing teeth are:
Removable Partial Denture
Fixed Partial Denture
Implants
Complete Denture
What is a dental bridge?
Bridge or fixed partial denture is the most popular system to replace missing teeth.
A bridge is meant to replace missing teeth by bridging the gap b/w two remaining teeth. Crowns fixed onto the adjacent teeth are fused to artificial tooth/teeth that are going to replace missing.
What are the advantages of a dental bridge?
Bridges is a fixed replacement of missing teeth, is stable & doesn't have to be taken out of the mouth like a removable denture at night. Hence they are more comfortable.
A bridge is much more natural in appearance compared to a removable denture.
They are strong enough to chew all types of food.
Taste of food can be enjoyed as it does not have any acrylic plates that would cover the soft tissues as in a removable denture.
They last for many years if maintained well.
What are the materials used in the making of a bridge?
Fixed bridges can be made of metal, porcelain fused to metal or metal free materials like All-ceramic material or of Zirconium material.
The most popular material being used is porcelain fused to metal, because of its natural appearance, good strength and long life. Metal bridges are usually preferred to replace missing lower back teeth. All-ceramic is the material of choice in front teeth as they have excellent aesthetics. Zirconium materials have very good strength, look natural and have long life.
How is a bridge fabricated and fixed?
A dental bridge is an artificial replacement of missing teeth. As the name suggests, it bridges the gap between the rest of natural teeth. In other words, a bridge takes support from adjacent natural teeth to replace missing teeth. Crowns are fixed over these natural teeth on either side of the empty space and with their help a tooth or few teeth are fixed in the empty space left by lost tooth/teeth.
At the first appointment, the supporting teeth on either side of the missing teeth are prepared based on the material of choice for the bridge. Now an impression of the dentition is made & sent to the lab where the bridge gets fabricated. In the next appointment, this bridge will be cemented with tooth adhesive cements over the supporting teeth to replace the missing teeth. Fixing of the bridge and corrections to be done if needed would require few minutes of time.
Bridges are also fixed with the support of implants placed in suitable positions.
What are the various treatment modalities to replace missing teeth?
