Will Dental Implants Stop the Pain from Your Loose Dental Bridge?

Do you have a loose dental bridge that is causing mouth pain? That's a common complaint, since the average conventional bridge needs replacement every 7 to 10 years. While the difficulties and pain associated with loose bridges and the hassle and expense of replacing them regularly were once issues patients simply had to live with, dental implants have changed that. Today, your Singapore oral surgeon can provide a more stable and comfortable foundation for replacement teeth that, with proper oral hygiene and care, can last a lifetime.

Why Dental Bridges Can Become Loose and Painful

Fixed dental bridges are means of restoring oral function and appearance that is reasonably quick to complete and is economical – at least in terms of initial costs. However, since they are not a perfect solution to tooth loss, nor a permanent one, problems do, inevitably, develop over time that cause bridge loosening, making replacement necessary. Among these is bone loss, which will occur in the jaw in places where teeth are missing, eroding support beneath dental bridges.

Another issue is the fact that conventional fixed bridges rely on adjacent natural teeth for some of their support. That generally means altering and crowning those teeth, a process that can weaken them, making them vulnerable to decay. Teeth can also loosen or crack due to the stress of supporting bridges. Bridges without solid support will become unstable, shifting against the gum to cause gum irritation, pain and sometimes, open sores and infection.

Dental Implants: How They Can Stop The Pain

Dental implants offer a solid, self-supporting foundation for dental restorations that is similar in structure to natural teeth. Unlike bridges, implant-based restorations do not leave the jawbone unprotected against bone loss. That's because implants function as artificial tooth roots, stimulating the jawbone as you bit and chew in much the same way as your natural tooth roots did – which is the body's signal to produce new bone cells, ensuring the jaw remains strong and healthy. That means your new replacement teeth will not loosen due to a shrinking jawbone. Since your replacement teeth will have those titanium tooth roots to anchor them, adjacent natural teeth will not be altered by crowning, nor will they be damaged or loosened from carrying the weight of a dental bridge.  

So if your bridge is loose and causing you pain, there are a couple of implant-based solutions that can put an end to your discomfort once and for all. Depending upon the number of teeth you'll be replacing, the amount and condition of bone in your jaw and your personal preferences, your Singapore oral surgeon can replace each missing tooth with an individual implant, topped with a prosthetic tooth, or place an implant-secured permanent bridge on a foundation of two or more implants. Whichever option you choose, the results will be a stable, comfortable restoration that looks, feels and functions like natural teeth. Better yet, so long as your brush, floss and see your dentist regularly, that bright new smile will be intact for decades, perhaps even for the rest of your life.