At Ash & Roberts, DDS in Centralia, Washington, we believe in helping our patients achieve optimal dental health. However, problems can arise unexpectedly and natural teeth may need to be extracted. It's important to replace missing teeth with a dental restoration. Here, you'll learn about a few of the ways your dentists Dr. Steven Ash and Dr. Brian Roberts use restorative devices to help their patients rejuvenate their smiles!
Dentures
These removable appliances have been around a long time, providing people with an affordable way to fill in gaps left by missing teeth. Dentures come in two forms - full and partial - depending on your needs, and are designed to be taken out for cleaning and during sleep. Full dentures rely on a combination of paste and suction against the gum ridges to stay in place, while partial dentures have clasps that attach to the natural teeth on either side of the gap.
Crowns and bridges
Think of bridges like partial dentures that can't be removed, filling in a space of one or more missing teeth. Instead of metal clasps, however, bridges stay in place with the help of crowns on either side of the gap. Your Centralia dentist will prepare the natural teeth to support the crowns, which are typically made from porcelain and match perfectly with the rest of your teeth. The combination of crowns and bridges typically lasts about 10 to 15 years before needing adjustment, reattachment, or replacement.
Dental implants
For both dentists and patients, the preferred way to replace missing teeth is with dental implants. That's because dental implants are the most secure and low-maintenance restoration available today. Your Centralia dentist implants a tiny post in the space where a missing tooth once resided, attaching a realistic-looking and feeling crown on top once the post has integrated itself into the jawbone. If you take care of your implants, you can expect them to last two decades or longer.
To make an appointment with either Dr. Ash or Dr. Roberts, call our Centralia, Washington office today!
