Make Your Smile Whole Again: Treatments for Missing Teeth By Dr. David Wyse on October 18, 2016

There is an age-old saying that you don’t know what you’ve got until you lose it. This is often the case for people who are missing one or more of their natural teeth. Most of us take our teeth for granted when they are healthy and functioning well. However, when we lose a tooth, it becomes obvious how necessary a mouth full of natural teeth is to biting, chewing, and speaking, not to mention to a person’s self-confidence in his or her smile and overall appearance. Fortunately, modern restorative dentistry has made it possible for people who are missing one or more of their natural teeth to restore full form, function, and oral health to their mouths.

At the cosmetic, restorative, and general dentistry practice of Drs. Jay Chrisman and David Wyse, patients with missing teeth have many excellent options at their disposal for restoring optimal health to their mouths. Our esteemed and experienced dentists take the time to speak with each patient and explain the available treatment options for missing teeth during consultations at their Bloomington, IL dental office. Based on each patient’s unique needs and goals, our dentists suggest the customized treatment most likely to yield the best possible results.

If you are missing one or more of your natural teeth, please don’t hesitate to schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Chrisman or Dr. Wise today.

Why Is It Important to Replace Missing Teeth?

Many people believe that the loss of natural teeth is primarily an aesthetic problem that, at worst, makes everyday tasks such as eating and speaking more inconvenient. To some, living with missing teeth is preferable to going to the dentist - or so they genuinely believe. What many of these people do not realize is that the loss of teeth sets into effect a series of oral health and general health problems.

When you lose a tooth, your body interprets that as a sign that the gum and jawbone tissues that once supported the tooth no longer require the vital nutrients with which they were once provided. Therefore, these tissues fall into disrepair and start to degrade. This, in turn, makes the mouth more susceptible to gum disease and infection, which puts surrounding teeth at risk of being lost. Gum disease and other serious oral health problems have been connected with increased risks of such serious conditions as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke.

Missing teeth can also cause such oral health problems as malocclusion (i.e., a “bad bite”) and misalignment.

Tooth Replacement Options

By replacing missing teeth with strong, sturdy, natural-looking restorations, you can help to restore your oral health while making your smile whole once again. Drs. Chrisman and Wyse offer a range of treatment options for missing teeth, including:

Implant-supported restorations: Dental crowns, bridges, and dentures can be secured in the mouth by dental implants, tiny titanium screws that are surgically embedded in the jawbone. Drs. Chrisman and Wyse work closely with trusted periodontists and oral surgeons to provide exceptional implant dentistry, serving patients with restorations of the finest quality to place atop the dental implants once they have integrated with the jaw.
Fixed dental bridges: Traditional fixed dental bridges can be used to replace between one and three consecutive missing teeth. Bridges comprise one to three replacement teeth with dental crowns on either end. These crowns are attached to the natural teeth adjacent to the gap once occupied by natural teeth so that the replacements fill the space.
Removable dentures: Modern cosmetic dentures are custom crafted to fit snugly in the mouth and look entirely natural, unlike removable dentures of the past.