Tooth replacement is an integral part of your continuing oral health. Additionally, it can restore your confidence.
As a dentist in Lodi and Elk Grove, CA, I consult with patients about tooth replacement and help them choose an option that will satisfy their needs and goals.
If you have missing teeth, continue reading to learn about your options, costs, and more.
Tooth Replacement Options to Meet Your Needs
My dental team and I offer many tooth replacement choices to satisfy differing needs and goals. An option that works well for one patient may not be suitable for another.
Dentures and Partials
Complete dentures are custom dental plates that fit over the gums. They are colored and designed to look like natural gum tissue. Likewise, these dental plates have restorative teeth embedded, the shape and color decided by you and the dentist. Complete dentures stay in place through gravity, suction, and jawbone support.
Partial dentures are similar, but the prosthetic only holds teeth in the places where yours are missing. Partials include clips and rely on your remaining teeth for additional support.
Single Dental Implants
Single dental implants include a single tooth root replacement and a custom dental crown. I surgically implant the artificial tooth root and allow a crucial integration period—time for the root to fuse with your jawbone. After integration, I top your new root with a custom dental crown that matches your remaining teeth.
All-on-4® and Implant Dentures
All-on-4 in Lodi or Elk Grove is a unique dental implant type that uses approximately four tooth root replacements to secure an entire arch of restoration teeth to the jaw. Sometimes, we use up to six dental implants to secure an implant denture. In both cases, we fit you with a temporary prosthetic, so you’ll not have to spend time without teeth.
Dental Bridges
Dental bridges are prosthetic teeth situated between tooth crowns. This custom prosthetic restores your bite force because the crowns attach to healthy teeth, stabilizing the bridge teeth inside your smile gap.
Am I a Candidate for Tooth Replacement?
A team member will schedule a consultation for you, during which we will discuss a single tooth replacement option or all the choices. This visit will determine the best way forward for you and answer questions about costs and what to expect.
Candidates for Dentures and Partials
Most patients with tooth loss are candidates for dentures and partials. However, I’ll evaluate your oral health to be sure. If you’re new to dentures or want to upgrade to a more modern tooth replacement prosthetic, my team and I can help.
Candidates for Implant Dentistry
Dental implants are the gold standard in tooth replacement, whether you have a single missing tooth or substantial tooth loss. At your implant consultation, I’ll evaluate your jawbone health and sinus placement to determine candidacy. Sometimes, we’ll discuss sinus lift treatment or bone grafting if the jawbone health is not there and the sinus is too close to the implant site.
Candidates for a Dental Bridge
A traditional dental bridge with crowns on either side requires healthy abutment teeth to secure the prosthetic. If your remaining teeth are weak or at risk, I may discuss an implant-supported bridge with you. Your consultation determines your candidacy.
What Are the Benefits of Various Tooth Replacement Options?
No matter the option, tooth replacement has benefits, including reinstating the bite force and restoring confidence. However, some tooth replacement options have additional benefits.
Dental implants, for example, help prevent jawbone loss, which can make your lower face appear sunken or prematurely aged. Bone loss can also impact your remaining teeth. Fixed prosthetics like dental implants and bridges prevent teeth from migrating toward smile gaps, which ruins your bite alignment and puts undue wear on your teeth and gums.
How Do I Take Care of My Dental Prosthetic?
Different tooth replacement options require different types of care.
Dentures should be soaked overnight in a denture bath or disinfecting solution and rinsed regularly to prevent odors and bacteria near the gumline.
For dental implants, you’ll not have to add additional steps to your oral care routine, but it’s important to brush and floss and continue visiting my dental clinic for checkups.
My team and I recommend a few special tools for dental bridge upkeep, including a floss threader.
Before you leave our dental office, a team member will discuss tooth replacement upkeep and maintenance with you.
How Much Does Tooth Replacement Costs?
Tooth replacement costs vary by type and the complexity of your case, which is why I always welcome consultations in my dental office.
If you want to learn more or are ready to schedule your consultation, a member of my team is standing by to get you started today. My team works with CareCredit financing and offers an exclusive in-office savings plan.