A dental prosthesis is an intraoral process (inside the mouth), used to reconstruct intraoral problems (missing teeth, missing any parts of teeth, and missing soft or hard structures of the jaw and palate as well). Prosthodontics is the dental specialty that is specialized in dental prostheses. These dental tools include dental implants, crowns, bridges, dentures, and veneers, and some of them can be detachable or permanently fixed in your mouth. If you think you might get benefits from a prosthesis, your dentist or prosthodontist at San Francisco can discuss the most productive treatment for your dental needs.
Types Of Dental Prostheses
There are various types of prostheses:
- Fixed dental prostheses - If you have no teeth at all, you can go for a permanent solution by using a fixed dental prosthesis. This is an ideal solution in terms of chewing and should be taken care of and cleaned as if it were our natural teeth.
- Removable dental prostheses - The overdenture model for full dentures is a solution that provides you the security and simplicity. This is screwed in and mounted on the dental implants, and the patient can remove it for cleaning.
- Implants supported protheses - Here, the name itself says it all. Dental implants are usually placed into the bone of the jaw like the root of teeth and can replace one, or several, or entire rows of teeth as well.
- Crowns - Crowns are used for a single damaged tooth or form part of a bridge, where the crowns are put on each side of one or more false teeth.
- Dentures - Dentures are fractional and replace a few false teeth or full and replace rows of false teeth.
- Veneers - Veneers are thin shells that cover the discolored or chipped teeth to enhance their appearance.
- Basic metal prosthesis - Metallic prostheses are the most widely-used dental prostheses, that are made from various metal alloys and a resin structure.
- Hybrid dental prostheses - It is the most appropriate solution when teeth lessness has caused the bone to lose its volume.
The Procedure Of Dental Prosthesis
At our San Francisco office, it takes a few days to a few weeks to complete the procedure, depending on where the denture is to be made (on-site at the clinic, or in an independent laboratory, etc.).
Your dentist will take a thorough examination of your teeth and oral cavity and also take dental X-rays of the teeth that are involved for the dental prosthesis. This allows your dentist to offer a prosthesis that supports any remaining teeth, lets you eat and speak normally and looks good. In the next step, your dentist will take an imprint of the existing teeth by asking you to bite into a mold to send the frame to the dental laboratory. According to the Decisions of the dentist, dental prostheses can be prepared from a variety of materials, like porcelain, acrylic, composite resin, and zirconia.
After the device is prepared, the placement procedure depends on which dental prosthesis you wish to use. To fit implants, your dentist will surgically insert a titanium fixture (post) into your bone. Then you need to wait several months before getting the prosthetic placed. This is to make sure the implant is correctly placed and secured into the bone. If you're about to use a crown, bridge, or veneers, your dentist may remove or embed part of the tooth surface to make it ready for the prosthesis. Dentures need to be checked to ensure they fit snugly and comfortably in your mouth.
Which Dental Prosthesis Is Right For You?
Before suggesting any treatment at our San Francisco office, your dentist or prosthodontist will take into account the overall health of your mouth, including the number of missing teeth, the condition of the remaining teeth and the thickness of the jawbone, etc. If you have only one or two teeth are missing, and the rest teeth are healthy, a bridge or partial denture could be a better solution. When few natural teeth remain, and they are in unpleasant conditions, dentures or implants might be the best option. But, if the jawbone is thin, your dentist may go for a bone graft to graft additional bone into the area for supporting the implant.
Your dentist can suggest the best advice regarding which dental prosthesis suits your needs once you visit. But some factors need to be kept in mind like cost, appearance, and length of treatment. Implants always offer a very natural-looking solution for missing teeth. However, an implant may cost several thousand dollars, and treatment may take up to six months.
Hence, dental prostheses can help patients feel more confident by replacing missing teeth. It also makes discolored or damaged teeth look more appealing. If you think a prosthesis might be the solution to your dental problem, make an appointment with Dr. Ali at Implant Pro Center, San Francisco, to discuss your options for improving your smile. For replacing one or a few missing teeth, a bridge is usually a better choice. It is less expensive, and the treatment typically only requires two dental visits. Dentures may be an economical option, but you must wait a few months for your mouth to heal entirely and adjust before it's ready for the permanent denture. For veneers, you may choose porcelain or composite resin veneers. Porcelain veneers usually cost more than composite resin veneers and will last between 10 and 20 years.
Implants Pro Center©, San Francisco offers a consultation at your convenience. You can learn more about dental implants and Implant Pro Center's treatment approaches. Find out today how dental implants can change your life. At Implants Pro Center©, we take all primary dental and medical PPO insurances, along with Medicare, thereby decreasing your anxiety about the expense of dental implant treatment or any oral surgeries. A tremendously experienced and caring team will give life-long care, maintenance, and assistance. Implants Pro Center© is also decked with all the modern technologies like CT-Scan, Intravenous Sedation, Platelet Rich Fibrin, etc. to present nothing less than the best of services. You will be entirely at ease for any of your surgeries.