Under ideal circumstances, consistently good hygiene and a strict schedule of preventive dental care could help you preserve all of your healthy, natural teeth for life. However, circumstances are never ideal, and tooth loss remains a big problem for many patients. Fortunately, there are ideal solutions for dealing with lost teeth and preserving the rest of your healthy, natural smile afterward. For example, by replacing the lost tooth and taking steps to reduce your risks of losing more, we can help you fully restore your smile’s appearance, your bite’s function, and much more.
Find out if more teeth are at risk
The first step to addressing your tooth loss is to diagnose why you lost the tooth in the first place. For example, if the reason is severe gum disease, then the tooth’s loss could be attributed to the destruction of your periodontal tissues and jawbone structure. If so, then replacing the tooth may not be a viable option until your gum disease is brought under control. This could require expert periodontal care and maintenance to stop the disease and restore any compromised gum tissues and jawbone structure before your replacement tooth can be designed and placed.
Give your smile the next best thing
Once your smile is ready to receive the replacement for your lost tooth, your dentist will work closely with you to determine which option is best for you. For example, a traditional dental bridge can provide a highly lifelike solution for filling the gap and restoring your smile’s appearance. However, the next best thing to a healthy, natural tooth is a replacement that addresses the loss of your tooth’s root, as well. For some patients, we may suggest replacing it with a dental implant post topped by a lifelike dental crown. The post will anchor the crown in place similarly to a natural tooth root.
Work to prevent the loss of more teeth
After you’ve successfully replaced your lost tooth, you can reduce your risks of losing more by taking steps to minimize your risks of it. That includes keeping gum disease under control for life with the help of professional care, if you have it. Also, replacing your lost tooth root with a dental implant will help stem the jawbone degradation that often follows the loss of one or more teeth. Your jaw becomes weaker and smaller the more teeth roots it loses, though dental implants can slow down or stop this degradation by stimulating the bone every time you bite and chew.
Learn more about dealing with a lost tooth
If you’ve lost a tooth, then what you do next could determine how successfully your smile bounces back from it. To learn more about how to deal with a lost tooth, schedule a visit by calling Syosset Dental in Syosset, NY, today at 516-433-2211 or 516-921-1678.
