Replacing teeth in Isle of Man

Replacing teeth

Our Regent Dental dentists in Isle of Man can help restore your confidence with replacements for missing teeth: from crowns to bridges, only you will know they’re there.

Crowns are fitted over an existing tooth to protect it from further damage. They may also be used to improve your smile if you have had an implant.

What is a dental crown?

A dental crown can help protect a cracked tooth or even bring back complete functionality of a tooth with excessive decay. Dental Crowns (also called caps) are covers that are placed over teeth or dental implants. They are typically used when the damage is too much for a simpler procedure like veneers.

Crowns are often used to help keep teeth healthy or for cosmetic reasons. They can help to mould teeth that are not shaped correctly, they can help to restore broken teeth or weak teeth that are at risk of breaking, to help attach bridges, cover dental implants, crowns can be used to assist strengthening a tooth when a filling isn’t enough, and they can be used for cosmetic purposes as well such as, discoloured teeth or unnaturally shaped teeth.

Why might I need crowns?

If your tooth has undergone significant decay and there is not enough tooth structure remaining to support a filling or an inlay and maintain functionality.
If a large portion of your tooth has fractured and it cannot be built up using traditional composite bonding techniques.
If you have a large cavity and opt for the additional protection a crown offers to your tooth over a large composite filling or an inlay.
If you have had a dental implant to replace a missing tooth, a crown will be fitted to the abutment of the titanium implant.
Following root canal treatment, a crown is often needed to strengthen the tooth.
If you grind your teeth and have a poor diet, acid erosion may reduce your teeth to a point where the only option available is to crown them.
For cosmetic reasons, to improve the aesthetics of your smile, you may opt for all porcelain cosmetic crowns.

It is important to replace missing teeth to prevent your remaining teeth from drifting into the space, as well as to restore the appearance of your smile.

Dental bridges in Isle of Man

Available at all of our practices, we provide bridges for our private patients, and in some cases bridge reconstructions are provided by the NHS when it is deemed clinically necessary to do so.

What is a dental bridge?

Also commonly known as fixed partial dentures are used to help fill gaps due to tooth loss between existing teeth. They can be made from materials such as, gold, alloy, or porcelain. Removable bridges can be taken out to be cleaned, unremovable ones need to be removed by your dentist. An unremovable bridge and a removable bridge both rely on surrounding teeth for support, whereas an implant bridge is attached and supported by the jaw under the gum tissue.

When are dental bridges needed?

Bridges are recommended when there are one or more teeth missing that affect:

Your smile and appearance.
Your bite, as a result of adjacent teeth leaning into the space and altering the way the upper and lower teeth bite together.
Your speech.
The shape of your face.
The rates of gum disease and tooth decay as a result of food accumulated in the gap.

Do missing teeth need to be replaced?

Yes, missing teeth must be replaced for many reasons:

To improve your appearance.
To reduce the strain on the teeth at either side of the missing tooth.
To prevent the neighbouring teeth from leaning into the resulting gap and altering the bite.
To prevent gum disease and tooth decay due to accumulation of food in the gap.

Dentures can be used to replace the function and appearance of your natural teeth, and our dentists ensure that they are comfortable and and natural.

What is a denture?

It is important to replace missing teeth, even if just one is missing. If left untreated, your chewing and speaking will be affected, as additional strain is put on teeth either side of the gap, and your bite can become misaligned. The missing teeth and bone can also cause your face to sag and look older, and you could end up losing further teeth.

What are the advantages of dentures?

There are a number of benefits to choosing dentures to replace your missing teeth.

You will have a full, natural-looking smile
Dentures are durable and long-lasting
They enable you to eat more foods and speak comfortably
They can easily be removed
They give support to any remaining teeth

How do I look after my dentures?

Dentures must be looked after as if they were your natural teeth. Plaque can develop on dentures in much the same way as it can on natural teeth, which can put you at risk of gum disease.

With removable dentures, we recommend you take them out and clean them thoroughly with a soft brush. They should then be rinsed and soaked overnight in a denture cleaner.

Remember to keep your mouth clean too, by gently brushing your gums and tongue with a soft brush and rising with a mouthwash.