Oral Injury and Tooth Loss - Phoenix, AZ - Ahwatukee - Restorative Dentistry
At Advanced Dental Health, Dr. Holton emphasizes to their patients the importance of doing everything they can to enhance and preserve the health of their teeth and gums. However, even those patients who are most diligent about caring for their mouths may find their oral health compromised by unforeseeable injuries. Fortunately, modern restorative dentistry has made it possible to return full health, function, and aesthetics to mouths that have been damaged by injury.
It is particularly important to seek immediate dental care if you have lost one or more of your natural teeth due to injuries to your mouth. If you have been affected by oral injury and tooth loss, our Phoenix, AZ dentists can meet with you for a confidential consultation, during which they can evaluate your mouth and explain your options for treatment. By replacing your missing teeth as soon as possible after suffering an oral injury, you can help to improve your quality of life dramatically.
If you have lost one or more of your teeth due to an oral injury, we encourage you to schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Holton today.
Why Is It Important to Replace a Missing Tooth As Soon As Possible?
When you lose a tooth, your body interprets this loss as a sign that the soft and hard tissues that once supported the tooth - the gums and the jawbone - are no longer in need of the blood supply, nutrients, and other resources they once received as they no longer serve any vital purpose. As a result, these tissues fall into disuse and begin to degrade, affecting the structural integrity of the mouth.
In the meanwhile, the natural teeth adjacent to the gap once occupied by a missing tooth begin to drift out of their optimal positions toward the empty space. This affects the alignment of the teeth as well as the strength of the bite.
Patients with missing teeth are also susceptible to a variety of other oral health problems, including oral infections and gum disease. If left untreated, even a single missing tooth is likely to lead to a range of dental issues, including a much higher risk of further tooth loss.
Solutions to Missing Teeth
If you have lost one or more of your teeth due to an oral injury, Advanced Dental Health offers numerous restorative dentistry solutions that can return form, function, and health to your mouth. These solutions include:
- Fixed dental bridges: Fixed dental bridges comprise between one and three replacement teeth held in place by dental crowns affixed to the natural teeth on either end of a gap once occupied by natural teeth.
- Removable dentures: For patients who suffered a severe oral injury and lost most or all of their natural teeth, we offer custom dentures that fit snugly yet comfortably in the mouth.
- Implant-supported restorations: By far the most effective method of replacing missing teeth, implant-supported crowns, bridges, and dentures recreate natural teeth from the root upward. Dental implants are titanium posts that are surgically embedded into the jawbone, where they fuse together with the bone, essentially becoming part of the patient’s anatomy. The body cannot distinguish between these titanium implants and natural tooth roots, so dental implants halt the degradation process that starts when natural teeth are lost.
Learn More about Oral Injury and Tooth Loss
If you would like to learn more about replacing missing teeth after tooth loss due to oral injury, please contact Advanced Dental Health today.