what to do about missing front tooth?

Toothsmith

mal4mac wrote: »

If dentures are all "well and good" then where is the problem? If the teeth all eventually get ground away, you can have full dentures.

Dentures are 'all well and good' for low expectation patients, with no complicating factors without the desire for anything better or the will/ability to look after anything more complex.

Plus - tooth grinders don't always stop the habit just because they have no teeth!

If they keep their teeth in at night, or part of their habit is to clench their teeth when stressed during the day - then you end up with a patient who is perpetually breaking their denture or one who wears a denture down very quickly (OK - a lot of denture repairs are free on the NHS - but it's still very inconvenient to be without them whilst they are repaired. Especially if it's happening regularly.)

But - I would certainly agree with others who have said go back to original dentist and ask for a more 'budget' option. There will probably be some drawbacks to that option, but if you're aware of them and prepared to accept them, then that would be fine.

prowla

An implant would not be cheap.
You can also get a crown which spans across the gap, ie. joins to the teeth either side (or even just one). But again, not cheap.

mal4mac

It might also be worth talking to your GP. NHS recommends CBT for tooth grinding, if it is an anxiety problem. Also, "mindfulness meditation" might be worth exploring. Both these mental techniques are available under the NHS (if your GP thinks you need them...)

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/teeth-grinding/Pages/Introduction.aspx

If you went for expensive implants or crowns wouldn't they be subject to damage through grinding? If you grind away all these expensive private treatment, then it's going to cost you another fortune to replace them!

"Bruxism ... may compromise dental implant success.".

http://www.animated-teeth.com/tooth-implants/a-what-are-dental-implants.htm

TiddlyPom

Just an aside question. Why is it advisable to take dentures out at night? I always thought that was an old fashioned thing: the teeth in a jar on the beside table.
Just curious.

McKneff

I was leaving mine in at night till I got the greatest of inefected abcess of all time.

Trapped food causes all sorts of problems and lies there till you brush again... I certainly learned my lesson.

theoretica

I had removable braces - with a plastic plate and wires - and was very definitely told to wear them at night. Perhaps needs for a few years of braces are different from many years wear for dentures?

brook2jack

For a brace to work without damaging teeth it needs to be in for at least 20 hours a day, but most courses of braces last around 18 months and are in young people with excellent oral hygiene.

If dentures are worn 24 hours a day then you are very likely to develop

A a yeast infection called candida . Whilst painless this causes the gums the denture is resting in to swell and ultimately the denture doesn't fit as well as it should.

B gum and teeth problems because food and plaque get caught between denture and gums/teeth. Often people wear dentures because their oral hygiene is not brilliant and at least if the dentures come out at night food and plaque are more likely to be dislodged and neutralised by the action of tongue and saliva.

TiddlyPom

Makes sense when I think about it. Thank you.
I hadn't realised that most dentures are a result of poor oral hygiene. That's quite shocking.

brook2jack

95% of all dental treatment is entirely preventable. Which makes the fact that the number one reason for a child to need a hospital visit is tooth decay really shocking.

littlerock

Posted in error - deleted.