Tooth Replacement

Consider tooth replacement if you lose a permanent tooth due to extraction, trauma, or poor oral hygiene. At her practice in Tukwila, Washington, Addie Chang, DMD, a family dentist and her team offer several types of tooth replacement, including dental implants and fixed bridges. Make an appointment today to learn more about your tooth replacement options, by calling the office or clicking the online booking feature.

What is tooth replacement?

Tooth replacement is a type of restorative dentistry. It uses fixed prosthetics, like dental implants and bridges, to restore permanent teeth lost due to trauma or extraction.

If you lose a permanent tooth, it’s crucial to seek professional help. Without intervention and treatment, you’re likely to experience more serious problems, like gum recession, shifting teeth, or bone loss.

Are there different types of tooth replacement?

At the practice of Addie Chang, DMD, the team offers several types of tooth replacement, including:

Dental implants

Dental implants are small titanium posts that your dentist inserts into the empty sockets where your teeth used to be. Once placed, the implants integrate with your jaw, providing a foundation for crowns or implant-supported dentures.

Bridges

A bridge is a fixed prosthetic that replaces a single permanent tooth. There are several types of dental bridges, but all of them have a similar design. Specifically, they feature a false tooth supported by two dental crowns or a metal framework.

Your dentist holds the bridge in place by bonding the crowns or the metal framework to the abutment teeth on either side of the gap in your smile. 

What does tooth replacement involve?

At the practice of Addie Chang, DMD, tooth replacement takes between two and three visits.

Process for getting dental implants

Your dentist numbs your mouth with a local anesthetic and inserts a number of implants into your empty tooth sockets. After surgery, you return home for several months, while your mouth recovers and the implants fuse with your jaw.

When your mouth finishes healing, you return to the office, and your dentist takes scans of your mouth. They send your scans to a dental lab, that designs and manufactures a set of custom crowns or implant-retained dentures.

After the lab finishes your implant restorations, you return to the practice of Addie Change, DMD. Your dentist attaches the restorations to your implants and provides care instructions. 

Process for getting a dental bridge

Your dentist takes digital impressions of your mouth with an intraoral scanner and sends them to a nearby dental lab. Technicians at the lab use your scans to design and manufacture a custom dental bridge.

A week or two later, when the lab finishes your bridge, you return to Addie Chang, DMD. Your dentist bonds the bridge in place and explains how to keep it in optimal condition.

Learn more about tooth replacement by making an appointment at the practice of Addie Chang, DMD, today, by calling the office or clicking the online booking feature.