Have you ever had that moment where you take a bite of your favorite food, and suddenly, there’s a hole where your tooth used to be? While common among children, a startling number of American adults (around 178 million) are missing at least one tooth. Unfortunately, missing teeth can affect your self-esteem, misalign your bite, and lead to other health issues. Traditional methods of tooth replacement, such as dental bridges, require altering your remaining teeth and aren’t as durable as more modern options. An implant bridge, however, supported by mini dental implants, is a strong and affordable option for replacing missing teeth.
What’s the Issue With Missing Teeth?
When a tooth is missing, it creates more than just a gap in your smile. Missing teeth pose significant health concerns.
Tooth loss allows your other teeth to shift in your mouth, altering your bite alignment. Think of it like a bookshelf—when you remove one book, the others lean or move to fill the gap. A similar repositioning happens with our teeth, so it’s crucial to address this issue before it escalates.
A missing tooth also means there’s no tooth root to stimulate the jawbone and keep it strong. This leads to bone and tissue deterioration over time, changing your facial structure.
Additionally, missing teeth cause issues with your daily life. Eating your favorite foods is more difficult, especially if you’re missing multiple teeth. Gaps in your teeth may also affect your speech, making you more difficult to understand.
These problems will only worsen over time without treatment. The only way to fix the issue is to replace your teeth with a bridge or denture.
Understanding a Dental Bridge
Traditional dental bridges have long been a reliable way to replace one or more missing teeth. These act as a literal bridge for your teeth, spanning the gap in your smile and filling the space with a replacement tooth called a pontic.
However, just like a real bridge connects two pieces of land, traditional bridges connect two adjacent teeth. They achieve this by placing dental crowns on your neighboring teeth, which serve as support. Unfortunately, placing these crowns requires shaving down your natural tooth structure to accommodate the restoration, irreversibly altering two healthy teeth.
In contrast, an implant-supported bridge does not require other teeth for stabilization. Instead, it’s supported from underneath by dental implants, like how a land bridge may be supported by pillars from below.
Not only does this restoration replace your missing teeth, but the implants also act as replacement tooth roots! By securing in your jawbone, they provide stimulation to the bone, encouraging healthy growth. With implants in place, your implant bridge remains secure in your mouth, offering incredible durability and stability.
Mini Implants Provide a Strong Base for Your Implant Bridge
At San Francisco East Bay Mini Dental Implants, Dr. Magno utilizes mini dental implants as an alternative to conventional dental implants. As their name suggests, these implants are smaller, allowing Dr. Magno to fit them into tighter spaces or for patients with less jawbone density.
Mini implants also have a simpler placement procedure, which we complete in just one appointment!. Using this minimally invasive procedure, mini implants also heal much faster than conventional implants, meaning fewer follow-up appointments that you need to pay for. With all these incredible benefits, mini implants are often significantly less expensive than their conventional counterparts.
Affording Implant Bridges
However, Dr. Magno understands that insurance and financing can complicate the implant placement process. While some insurance plans may cover implants, not all do. The only way to know for sure is to check with your insurance provider!
Additionally, Dr. Magno offers flexible financing options for patients like you! With these third-party financing companies, you can split your costs up into manageable monthly payments. Regardless of your budget, mini implant-supported dental bridges may be an option for you.
Is a Mini Implant Bridge Right for You?
With improved functionality and a minimally invasive placement, a mini implant-supported bridge could be the tooth replacement solution you’ve been looking for!
If you want to restore your smile and boost your confidence, Dr. Magno can help! Schedule a consultation today to learn more about using an implant bridge to replace missing teeth.
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