Archive for the ‘Dental Bridge’ Category

What to do about two missing front teeth.

Saturday, April 5th, 2008

My daughter had her two front teeth knocked out by a softball at 7 yrs. old. We have had root canals and crowns on these teeth, and the root canals were done by a specialist. But she keeps getting these bumps on her gums now that are pieces of metal or infection. We know that she is to the point of needing implants. She is now 23 yrs. old and lives in Alaska. Her dental expenses had been covered by our insurance while she was a minor. She is very self conscious and scared of anything happening to these teeth. Does she need a specialist or a cosmetic dentist to get the best possible care?

Linda in Tennessee

Linda,
The bumps on the gum are definitely a sign of a problem. It very well may not be possible to save these teeth, and she’ll need dental implants and crowns. Getting this done, if it’s done right, could make a marvelous difference for your daughter.

I wish I knew someone in Alaska I could recommend to you. You’re smart to look for an expert, and I would focus on someone who is an expert in cosmetic dentistry, because generally when they do dental implants they are very careful about where they are placed so that the result looks natural.

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Options for replacing missing front teeth

Saturday, February 16th, 2008

I knocked my front tooth out at age 10 and jammed the other front tooth up in my gums. I had braces and then a bridge placed. I have had this bridge replaced once (20 years) ago. I am having pain with the remaining tooth, and it was recommended by my endodontist that I have the tooth removed for the next bridge. I have had a root canal and also oral surgery on this tooth in efforts to keep it. I am worried about having both front teeth on a bridge, as I have heard this can make the bridge unstable and I would never be able to do some things like bite into an apple-for fear the bridge would break loose. I would be mortified. I do have a low lipline so that has helped some, but my gums have receded and I have the black line that I have read about on this website. Any suggestions you have would be great!!!
Thanks,
- Bonnie from Ohio

Bonnie,
You have other options besides a dental bridge to replace the two front teeth. But let me answer your question fully.

You can have a stable, long-lasting bridge replacing your two front teeth. You’ll need a complete exam, including x-rays, to determine the condition of the tooth on either side. The bridge can be attached to the two adjacent teeth, or to four teeth, depending on how strong the adjacent teeth are. And this can be made to look natural, with no black line. But you need an artist-dentist to do this. We use new Zirconium materials (the Zeno crown and bridge system), which can be used to make a bridge with no metal in it. Don’t ask your family dentist to try this–get an expert cosmetic dentist.

Or, you could have dental implants. If you go to someone who really knows what they are doing, these can look and feel perfectly natural, and I would think this would be the ideal solution for your problem, because a bridge will just put more strain on the adjacent teeth and could provoke further problems with those teeth. Any bone missing from the trauma you had can be grafted in.

You probably want someone in Ohio to do this for you, though we have people fly in to Phoenix from all over the world to see us, so if you’d like us to help, let us know.

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