For most people, hearing the words ‘false teeth’ will only make them think of dentures. In fact, false teeth have many, varied uses other than just in sets of dentures. They also have a very interesting history as human beings have long recognised that a full set of teeth, even if some of them are false, is a much better way to live.
Early human beings used to use animal teeth or bones or even small bits of wood or rock in order to replace teeth that had been lost. It wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution that false teeth were able to be produced on something like a mass scale and then their uses began to multiply. Dentists began to mount them on platforms in early versions of what we would now know as dentures.
False teeth are also still used by dentists on individual bases too. They are a vital part of dental implants because it is a false tooth that has to be secured into the implant that has been placed beneath the gum and against the jaw bone. Dental bridges utilise false teeth too but instead of implanting a socket beneath the gum, dental bridges are when a false tooth is attached to the surrounding teeth.
Modern false teeth are extremely adaptable and dentists can adapt them to resemble the surrounding teeth so that the patient has all the aesthetic advantages of such a practice. They are also light weight, which is an important factor in their use in dental bridges and dentures too; no-one wants a set of dentures that is too heavy. Your Swindon dentist will be able to tell you all about the different uses of false teeth.
Dental implants are becoming ever more talked about in the public as more and more people opt for them as a solution to their tooth loss. But many people still don’t understand what they are and how they actually work. Your Bath dentist will be able to tell you all about them as they have probably carried out a number of the procedures. For the basics, read on.
Humans have long sought to replicate teeth when they have been lost, in recognition of the fact that eating, drinking and talking are a lot easier with a full set of teeth, even if some of them are not natural. Dental implants are the latest stage in this evolution and they represent a leap forward because they are concerned with replicating the actual root of the tooth which holds it in place.
False teeth themselves have come a long way and modern pontics (as they are sometimes known) are realistic, lightweight and durable. But dental implants represent a new way of holding false teeth in place in the mouth. Instead of being removable like dentures or secured to surrounding teeth, dental implants are attached to the actual jaw bone itself.
In an operation at the dental surgery, your dentist will place an implant beneath the gum and against the jaw bone. In time the titanium implant will fuse with the bone, giving it an incredible secure foundation, into which a false tooth can be screwed. The surgery is invasive and dental implants are not a cheap option but they are a permanent solution to tooth loss. It is this permanence that is making more and more people choose dental implants if they have lost a tooth or teeth.
Dr Gerrard is a Bristol based Cosmetic dentist with many years of experience and is one of only a small number of dentists accredited by The British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
