Periodontal disease is regarded by dentists to be the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. Unfortunately, replacing teeth after loss to gum disease poses a unique concern, as the disease also weakens adjacent teeth and supporting bone tissues.
If you are post-periodontal disease and looking to rehabilitate your smile while preserving your remaining teeth, here are several options to consider:
Dental implants are one of the best ways to replace missing teeth. They provide your jaw with added bone support and a natural-looking tooth replacement. Since dental implants integrate (fuse) directly with bone tissues, they provide a strong foundation for rehabilitative treatments like crowns, bridges, or implant-supported dentures.
Dental implants function independently of other teeth in your mouth. As such, they can be installed directly alongside natural tooth structures without posing any risk to them. In fact, implants aid in bone retention and tooth alignment.
Even with complete tooth loss, as few as 2-4 implants can help anchor a full-arch prosthesis to restore your smile. Options range from removable (“clip-on”) overdentures to permanently secured “All-on” styles of implants.
A dental bridge is a traditional solution for replacing missing teeth. However, bridges require healthy, stable teeth to support them (unless they’re placed on dental implants.) As such, their use on periodontal patients is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Removable prosthetics like full and partial dentures can be custom fitted to your unique anatomy (including around any existing teeth) to replace all of your missing ones at one time.
Some people feel that the fastest and most reasonable choice is to have their natural teeth extracted and replaced with a denture. However, nothing is as ideal as your natural smile. Dentists agree that the preservation of anatomical teeth is one of the best choices when possible.
Always discuss your options with your dentist to determine what’s best for your unique smile.