Mills Dental Care Tooth Replacement Options
Oral Prosthetic Choices in Papua New Guinea
Our state-of-the-art dental clinic provides a full menu of prosthetic treatments for your missing teeth. Dr Naysan can advise you on what option best suits your situation.
Comfortable, Secure Dentures
We offer a variety of tooth replacement options
Dentures are false teeth made to replace teeth you have lost. Dentures can be complete or partial. Complete dentures cover your entire upper or lower jaw. Partials replace one or a few teeth.
Advances in dentistry have made many improvements in dentures. They are more natural looking and comfortable than they used to be. But they still may feel strange at first. In the beginning, your dentist may want to see you often to make sure the dentures fit. Over time, your mouth will change and your dentures may need to be adjusted or replaced. Be sure to let your dentist handle these adjustments.
Speaking and eating may feel different with dentures. Be careful when wearing dentures because they may make it harder for you to feel hot foods and liquids. Also, you may not notice biting on a bone from your food.
Complete Dentures
Complete dentures can be either “conventional” or “immediate.” Made after the teeth have been removed, and the gum tissue has begun to heal, a conventional denture is ready for placement in the mouth about eight to 12 weeks after the teeth have been removed.
Unlike conventional dentures, immediate dentures are made in advance and can be positioned as soon as the teeth are removed. As a result, the wearer does not have to be without teeth during the healing period. However, bones and gums shrink over time, especially during the healing period following tooth removal.
A disadvantage of immediate dentures compared with conventional dentures is that they require more adjustments to fit properly during the healing process and generally should only be considered a temporary solution until conventional dentures can be made.
Partial Dentures
A removable partial denture or bridge usually consists of replacement teeth attached to a pink or gum-coloured plastic base, which is connected by metal framework that holds the denture in place in the mouth. Partial dentures are used when one or more natural teeth remain in the upper or lower jaw.
A fixed (permanent) bridge replaces one or more teeth by placing crowns on the teeth on either side of the space and attaching artificial teeth to them. This “bridge” is then cemented into place.
Not only does a partial denture fill in the spaces created by missing teeth, it prevents other teeth from changing position. A precision partial denture is removable and has internal attachments rather than clasps that attach to the adjacent crowns. This is a more natural-looking appliance.
Full-coverage Dental Crowns
A dental crown helps protect a damaged or weak tooth from further decay.
A dental crown is a tooth-shaped “cap” that is placed over a tooth to cover it while restoring shape, size, strength and appearance. When cemented into place, crowns fully encase the entire visible portion of a tooth that lies at and above the gum line.
Why Is a Dental Crown Needed?
A dental crown may be for:
- Protecting a weak or cracked tooth from breaking apart further
- Restoring an already broken tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn
- Covering and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn’t much enamel left
- Holding a dental bridge in place
- Restoring severely discolored teeth
- Placing over a dental implant
- Cosmetic modification
- Placing on primary (baby) teeth in order to:
- Save a tooth that has been so damaged by decay that it can’t support a filling.
- Protect the teeth of a child at high risk for tooth decay, especially when a child has difficulty keeping up with daily oral hygiene.
Fixed Dental Bridges
Bridges literally bridge the gap created by one or more missing teeth. They are made up of two crowns for the teeth on either side of the gap. These two anchoring teeth are called abutment teeth and a false tooth/teeth in between. These false teeth are called pontics and can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain or a combination of these materials. Dental bridges are supported by natural teeth or implants.
With a bridge, our Port Moresby dentists can help you:
- Restore your smile
- Return the ability to properly chew and speak
- Maintain the shape of your face
- Distribute the forces in your bite properly by replacing missing teeth
- Prevent remaining teeth from drifting out of position
There are three main types of dental bridges:
Traditional bridges involve creating a crown for the tooth or implant on either side of the missing tooth, with a pontic in between. They are the most common type of bridge and are made of either porcelain fused to metal or ceramics.
Cantilever bridges are used when there are adjacent teeth on only one side of the missing tooth or teeth.
Maryland bonded bridges (also called a resin-bonded bridge or a Maryland bridge) are made of plastic teeth and gums supported by a metal framework. Metal wings on each side of the bridge are bonded to your existing teeth.
Don’t let broken or missing teeth impact your self-confidence or your smile’s health. Contact Mills Dental Care to find the best tooth replacement or restoration option for your needs.