Dental Bridges Aren’t Your Only Choice
Have you ever waited so long to make an appointment with a dentist, even though your tooth was hurting so badly, that the air hurt when you opened your mouth? You’re not alone. The problem with waiting that long often means the tooth is infected abscessed and sometimes cannot be saved.
A great dentist like Dr. Derek B. Hauser, DDS, will always try and save a tooth. The benefits of having the natural root you were born with sets the foundation for your long-term jaw and teeth alignment for the rest of your life.
When a Tooth Cannot be Saved
Most people don’t realize if a tooth cannot be saved, it needs to be extracted. What they learn a couple years (or less) down the road is that the missing root in the jawbone that held the other teeth in place is now gone, which completely compromises the other teeth and jaw bone.
Even if a molar (back tooth) is extracted, the front teeth begin crowding over time. How many people have crowded front teeth in the bottom when they are older? Chances are, they had a tooth extracted and didn’t have a dental implant or custom bridge added to replace the critical foundation that was removed.
Bone Density Loss is Real
Why does it matter if your teeth crowd on top or on the bottom—or spread apart? As we get older, we lose bone mass and density. If any teeth are lost, there is a hollowed out area where the regular bone used to grasp around to the natural tooth, and it sinks in.
If your jaw bone has sunken-in bone, as we get older, the jaw begins to lose more mass and we lose teeth. Keeping the bone structure is critical to keeping your teeth for the rest of your life. If the bone deteriorates, many people cannot even qualify for dentures.
Follow-Up with Dr. Hauser in Three Months
Within three months of an extraction, the need to follow up with Lakefront Family Dentistry is crucial to your future oral health. Dr. Hauser will take a digital x-ray to see how the bone is healing after the extraction.
Three months after that, he will make the recommendation to either have a dental bridge, which means the two surrounding teeth are shaved down and sacrificed—or receive the advanced technology where he places the latest titanium dental implant that’s safe and lasts for an entire lifetime.
Dental Implants are Cost Effective
A dental implant is actually more cost effective in the long run and doesn’t touch the surrounding teeth at all. Even though a dental implant is made for a person’s bite and comfort, it’s a bit more difficult to clean after eating.
A dental bridge can also break if a person chews on hard candy or other foods. That means a second cost for a dental implant, and it doesn’t last forever like dental implants do. The cost over the years doesn’t add up to the savings and better bone density and teeth alignment issues a dental implant provides.
Experience Matters
Dr. Hauser has over 20 years’ experience in cosmetic dentistry. As a member of the American Dental Association and a dentist with five-star reviews everywhere you look, his patients are gracious enough to let others know how talented and honest he is at his private practice in the Inland Empire.
Call Lakefront Family Dentistry at (951) 244-9495 Today to discuss tooth extraction after care and dental implants, or Request Appointment Online for a Consultation to see What Options are Best for Your Future.
