While tooth loss naturally poses a number of risks to your oral health, the loss of a single tooth isn’t as much of a hassle as it used to be. That’s because patients have long been able to regain the function of their bite and the confident appearance of their smiles with a lifelike prosthesis, like a dental bridge. Today, many patients can regain even more by choosing a highly lifelike, dental implant-supported dental crown, instead. In addition to restoring your smile’s appearance, a dental implant also replaces the supportive root that was lost along with your tooth. This provides a variety of long-term benefits for your oral health that a conventional dental bridge can’t provide.
How a Traditional Bridge Works
A dental bridge describes a lifelike replacement tooth, or pontic, supported by a pair of anchoring crowns. Traditionally, the crowns are bonded to the healthy teeth bordering the gap in your smile. Known as abutment teeth, they’re modified to properly support the crowns, ensuring a firm, comfortable, and lasting fit for your custom dental bridge. With the prosthesis, you can restore your smile’s full, healthy appearance, as well as your bite’s ability to exert full, evenly balanced pressure when biting and chewing.
What an Implant-Supported Crown Does
Traditional dental bridges are made to restore your smile and bite’s function, and they do so effectively. However, there’s more to tooth loss than these noticeable effects, especially when it comes to the loss of your tooth’s root. The root supports your tooth’s visible crown, and when stimulated, it also promotes a healthy flow of essential nutrients to your jawbone. Losing a tooth root means losing this stimulation, and over time, your jawbone can shrink due to the lack of nutrients. A dental implant post can help preserve your jawbone’s strength and integrity by stimulating it once again, and the support it offers your lifelike dental crown far outmatches the support of nearby teeth.
Find Out if an Implant Crown Is Your Best Option
If you’ve lost a tooth, then you may benefit more by replacing it with an implant-supported dental crown rather than a traditional dental bridge. To learn more, schedule an appointment by calling Lathrop Dental Center in Katy, TX at 832-437-3849. We proudly welcome patients and families from Katy, Fulshear, Weston Lakes, Simonton, Richmond, Rosenberg, Brookshire, Wallis, Orchard, Cypress, Sealy, Columbus, and all surrounding communities.
