Dental Implants

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Dental Implants

Tooth replacement techniques such as partial dentures, bridgework and dental implants cannot easily be used in children while everything is changing and growing so rapidly. "Space maintainers," specially made appliances that can be attached to adjacent teeth or fabricated in a removable "retainer" style, are generally the best choice. Yet many do not restore function, and all require constant monitoring.

Dental implants can be used to replace a single tooth, several teeth, or all of the teeth. The goal of teeth replacement in dentistry is to restore function as well as esthetics.

When it comes to tooth replacement, generally, there are three options:
  • Removable dental appliance (complete denture or partial denture)
  • Fixed dental bridge (cemented)
  • Dental implant.
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Dental Bridge

Dental bridgework was the more common restorative option prior to the relatively recent shift to dental implant treatment. The main disadvantage to bridgework is the dependence on existing natural teeth for support. Implants are supported by bone only and do not affect surrounding natural teeth. Deciding on which option to choose depends on many factors.

Specifically for dental implants, these factors include :
  • Location of missing tooth or teeth
  • Quantity and quality of the jawbone where the dental implant is to be placed
  • health of the patient,cost, and patient preference