Whether you’ve lost a tooth accidentally or as the result of a removal procedure, it’s important to understand your options for how to replace it. You can, of course, choose instead to not replace your missing tooth, but not only will this leave you with a permanent gap in your teeth (which can result in bacteria and food becoming trapped in that gap) it can also weaken the overall strength and integrity of your jaw muscles (because the section of your jaw that previously got exercised when you had a tooth in that spot will now be doing nothing).
Because we understand the importance of replacing missing teeth and want you to understand all your various options, we’ve put together this quick article on how to replace a tooth. We hope you find the information we provide for you here helpful in figuring out which tooth replacement option might be best for your own individual situation.
So, How To Replace a Tooth?
One way on how to replace a tooth is to use a DIY emergency tooth replacement kit. This option is usually good for short term replacements only (although some kits allow you to make a temporary tooth that will last for several months or even an entire year), but can still be an effective means of filling in a gap and replacing a lost tooth. This option is also for being much more affordable when compared to most other options, particularly the ones that involve dental surgery.
Another option on how to replace a tooth is to get a dental implant to fill in the gap. This usually involves dental surgery to install a small post into your jaw and then fitting in a fake tooth (usually referred to as a crown) that secures to that post. Most posts for replacement teeth are made out of metal (usually titanium) but there may be alternative options available to you depending upon your dentist and dental insurance. Additionally, for a dental implant to be successful it’s important for your jaw bone to be sturdy enough to both withstand the initial surgery and support the post once it is installed.
The dental bridge
A third way on how to replace a tooth involves installing a dental bridge. This solution involves using the teeth on either side of the gap (where your missing tooth used to be) to anchor a bridge that fills in the gap. One notable benefit to choosing a dental bridge is that it can be used to fill even large gaps where multiple teeth have gone missing. One notable downside, however, is that to install a bridge your dentist will need to grind down those two anchor teeth, meaning that to fill in that gap you will be sacrificing two more teeth. That being said, dental bridges are still a very common solution for replacing one or more missing teeth due to their reliability and durability.
Ultimately, which option you choose for replacing your own missing tooth will be up to you, but we hope that you’ve found the information in this article helpful.
