A common problem that patients present with is a missing tooth. Most patients have heard of implants or bridges but just don’t know what is the best treatment to choose. First it is important to understand why filling the missing space is so important to the health and stability of your teeth.
“Can’t I just leave that space? It really isn’t bothering me.”
Missing teeth can cause problems such as:
Teeth shifting, tipping, or over-errupting
Decreased chewing function that puts more stress on the neighboring teeth
Bone loss over time
Decrease esthetics
Speech impairment
Deciding whether bridges or implants are the best option for you will depend on many factors, such as:
bone level/neighboring anatomy of structures such as the sinus or nerves
time frame
health of the neighboring teeth
esthetics
number of teeth missing
finances – many patients find that their insurance maxes out and does not cover all of the required treatment. At Persona Dental we understand this frustration and are now offering and in-house savings plan, Persona Perks, to make these options more affordable for our patients!
Dr. Schmitz and Dr. Thom have extensive experience in both bridge and implant restorations and will explain and discuss your unique case so that you can make an informed choice that you will feel comfortable with!
The following are before and after pictures of a bridge case that Dr. Thom recently completed. The patient has completely restored his chewing function the the left side!