A patient near Guildford came to Time Dental with a swelling at the gum line on one of her teeth. She had no pain from it but she noticed the swelling was now getting bigger.
On assessing the tooth in question, it had already been root canal treated and had a crown on top. The swelling origin was from midway up the root of the tooth. On further investigation the root had a horizontal break thorough it which rendered the tooth unrestorable. The only option for the tooth was extraction.
This particular tooth was a molar chewing tooth and so the chewing function for the patient would have been decreased after extraction. The other problem that may occur when losing a tooth is teeth drifting and tilting into the space. This can result in a change of the bite and also cause gum problems as food would now get stuck between the open spaces of the teeth that have tilted. The patient was keen on replacing the missing tooth and we discussed her options for filling the gap.
One fixed option would be to have a bridge. This uses the teeth on either side for support. A good option for replacing the missing tooth, but it does require shaping the teeth on either side of the gap to fit the bridge. The other option is a dental implant and crown.
The dental implant is essentially a titanium root that is inserted into the jaw. Once the dental implant has been integrated a post is fitted to the implant with a crown which fits on the post. This is a great option for replacing missing teeth as they do not require any preparation of other teeth and the dental impants last many years. Dental implants have success rates of higher than 95% and are an excellent option for gappy smiles, as well as heping to provide chewing function for back teeth.
Time Dental provides this service for patients from Guildford, and surrounding areas in Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and West sussex.
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