TREATMENT OPTIONS

I have lost my teeth. Do I have to replace them? What happens if I do not?

The possible consequences include:

Drifting of adjacent teeth and over-eruption of opposing teeth into the empty spaces resulting in food trapping and possible decay
Difficulty in eating possibly resulting in indigestion
Loss of youthful appearance
Loss of lip support
Difficulty in speaking especially if you have lost your front teeth
Bone loss in areas where teeth used to be. This may lead to loss of facial contours which will affect your appearance

What are my options for replacing the missing teeth?

There are three main options, namely:

Dentures
Fixed bridges
Implant-supported crowns or bridges

What are dentures?

Dentures are removable appliances with artificial teeth. There are two types:

Partial dentures -if you have lost some of your teeth only. They usually come with visible metal hooks wrapped around surrounding teeth for stability and retention
Complete dentures -if you have lost all your upper or lower teeth

They are made of wholly plastic or a combination of plastic and cobalt chromium, a form of metal.

Figure 1: A plastic complete denture replacing all the missing lower teeth	Figure 2: A plastic lower complete denture seated in the mouth