Missing teeth can cause a wide range of issues with your smile. Firstly, many patients experience some embarrassment about their missing teeth, especially if their absence is noticeable when they smile. Second, and perhaps most importantly, missing teeth cause functionality issues within your smile. 
This is because your dental structures were designed to work together when performing daily tasks like chewing or speaking. When you are missing one or more teeth, your smile cannot effectively perform these tasks as it used to, leading to an increased risk of dental damage. Learn more about why you should replace your missing teeth in 2021:
Missing Teeth & Your Smile’s Longevity
At Heather Adams Dentistry, our main goal is to ensure our patients can enjoy beautiful and healthy smiles that last them a lifetime. This is why we encourage our patients to seek out tooth replacement options sooner rather than later. To help patients restore their smiles after tooth loss, we offer many restorative dentistry options. The two main tooth replacement options that our patients choose from are dental bridges and dental implants. Depending on your needs and goals, the two options can effectively replace your missing teeth and restore the functionality of your smile.
Dental Bridges
Dental bridges rely on the support of your surrounding teeth to hold a prosthetic tooth in place of the missing tooth’s gap. The prosthetic tooth will cosmetically replace a missing tooth without requiring a surgical procedure. However, it’s important to note that dental bridges are not considered a permanent tooth-replacement option. Instead, it is very likely that you will need to get your bridge replaced after a couple of years. To increase the lifespan of your dental bridge, we recommend patients make several lifestyle adjustments like practicing dietary restrictions. Excessively crunchy or chewy foods may cause harm to the bridge hardware and impact your dental restoration. Additionally, you will need to thoroughly clean around and beneath your dental bridge at least once a day to ensure no food residue gets caught in the hardware.
Dental Implants
Dental implants are considered the premier option for tooth replacement. This is because they replace a missing tooth with a prosthetic tooth that is surgically secured to your jawbone for a stronger restoration. This is done by using a surgically implanted titanium post early on in your treatment plan. Once the post is allowed to heal, it will fuse into your jawbone and create. a stable foundation for the rest of your dental implant. While this process takes longer and is often more expensive than a dental bridge, patients love the end results. This is because, with dental implants, they do not have to worry about the lifestyle alterations that come with dental bridges.
Schedule Your Restorative Consultation Today
If you are missing one or more teeth, we encourage you to reach out to us as soon as possible within the new year. When you are missing teeth, it can lead to the deterioration of your jaw bone, increased chance of infection, and other health problems. Talk to Dr. Adams to find out which restorative procedure will fit your missing teeth needs.