Losing one or more teeth can be a daunting challenge - often too limited of a problem to be dealt with more extensive means of replacement when only a single tooth or several incontiguous teeth at once, many patients worry that a viable and long-lasting solution is out of budget and therefore out of reach. Luckily, there are several alternative means of replacing a tooth lost for one reason or another that are affordable under even the tightest budget.

Dental implants are seen as the most effective way to replace the untimely loss of an adult tooth - while invasive, painful, and costly, it is the implement that mimics the way a real tooth is lodged into the jaw most faithfully providing a suitably realistic placement without the need for external support systems aside from the surgically-embedded post upon which a false tooth will eventually be set. While cost is far from the only factor that may disqualify you from being an ideal candidate, it is often the one that most cases succumb to when considering the treatent - in such instances, your dentist may propose one of several other paths forward.

The most commonly-sought substitute for a dental implants when replacing one or more teeth that border upon one another is that of a dental bridge. Safe, cost-effective, permanent with proper care, and virtually painless, dental bridges allow your doctor to replace your missing tooth using the help of healthy, neighboring teeth close by - a false tooth called a pontic is supported and held firmly in place by two crown abutments; the adjacent teeth are sculpted down to accommodate the volume of the bridge and the implement is placed overtop and set in place with dental cement. Once the initial x-rays and impressions have been taken and the bridge has been manufactured in an off-site dental lab, having it installed happens in a single appointment and the ensuing results can be life-changing.

While dentures are certainly not the most immediately appealing option, their employment may be the best option available to you when seeking a non-surgical solution to the loss of many teeth at once. Partial dentures are best for when the missing teeth are limited to either the top or bottom portion of the mouth; held in place in a similar fashion to a dental bridge but with the added benefit of being removeable to facilitate easy hygienic upkeep, they do not require any of your remaining teeth to be modified physically for the sake of their presence. A full set of dentures, conversely, are recommended for when more teeth are gone than the number of those still present; they are custom-molded to fit your mouth specifically, and are supported primarily by the gums. Any permanent teeth still present will need to be chiseled away to allow it to rest comfortably, but most patients find that this process does not bother them once they have gotten used to using the dentures as they did the teeth they had before. Far from the outdated models of the past, modern dentures of all variety are practical, economical way to restore the use of your teeth, making speaking, eating, and often breathing much easier than it was before.