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Missing Single Tooth Replacement

While there are many reasons why you lost a tooth, it’s recommended that you replace it as soon as you can. A missing tooth creates a gap in your mouth that can affect your bite, your speech and your diet. Dr. Alex Shalman, at his boutique dentistry practice in Downtown Manhattan, offers several ways for you to replace a missing tooth. It requires an exam first, so don’t delay in seeking treatment. A missing tooth is more than a cosmetic issue; it can affect your health as well. Call Dr. Shalman for an appointment today.

Why Do I Need to Replace a Single Missing Tooth?

When you’re missing a tooth, especially if you’re missing a front tooth, it affects your confidence level and makes you self-conscious when you smile. There are also dental health issues that can arise from a missing single tooth. But missing a tooth isn’t rare. According to the American College of Prosthodontists, some 178 million Americans have at least one missing tooth.

In case of an accident or injury, immediate emergency dental treatment can get you at least a temporary replacement. This way, you can avoid embarrassment in the interim while you make a dental appointment for a more permanent solution. Dr. Alex Shalman, a family dentist who specializes in cosmetic procedures like smile makeovers, understands how missing teeth affect you. His boutique dental practice in Downtown NYC offers several options for a missing single tooth.

How Can I Lose a Tooth?

Missing teeth often result from bad oral hygiene. If you don’t brush your teeth twice a day and floss once a day, plaque builds up on the enamel of your teeth. If you compound the problem by eating unhealthy food, your health — and your teeth — will be affected. Even with proper dental hygiene, it’s common for people to have some tooth pain and tooth decay during their lifetimes.

Besides being negligent with your brushing and flossing, you may have to replace a missing tooth for other reasons, such as:

• Trauma. If you’re in a car accident and got struck in your face, you can end up with knocked-out teeth. You can also lose some teeth from an accident like falling down the stairs or onto a hard surface. When your face, especially your jaw, takes a direct blow, you may lose teeth.
• Sports injury. Most athletes, no matter the sport, have broken a tooth or two. Playing certain contact sports puts you at risk for loose teeth, lost teeth and jaw bone fractures. A severely broken tooth may have to be pulled.
• Gum disease. Plaque and tartar corrode the hard enamel of your teeth, creating a hole in your teeth and damaging your gums. If you aren’t in the habit of getting routine dental checkups and teeth cleanings, your dentist in Lower Manhattan can’t catch early evidence of gum disease. Left untreated, gum disease causes your gums to recede, exposing the roots of your teeth. Painful sensitivity and loss of teeth follow. Eventually, your teeth die and fall out.
• Misaligned teeth. Crooked teeth can harbor bacteria, as it’s difficult to reach every nook and cranny with your toothbrush and floss, especially if you have small teeth. Consider traditional braces or Invisalign as a corrective treatment option. Dental veneers or dental bonding may also help.
• Medical conditions. Certain conditions, like diabetes and high blood pressure, can affect the health of your teeth. This is another reason not to let tooth pain go untreated. It can be a sign of a more serious health issue.

Patient Experience

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  Great service! Dr Shalman and his staff were very professional, skilled, knowledgeable and friendly

  
  Sarah Khalid
  
  

What Are Some Missing Tooth Replacement Options?

Visit Dr. Shalman at his boutique dental practice in Downtown Manhattan to find out which treatment option is best for you. As a family dentist and a top cosmetic specialist, he delivers services to keep you healthy and looking good at the same time. He has access to both the technology and the aesthetics behind replacing a missing tooth, especially if you have a missing front tooth, which is much more easily recognizable.

Dr. Shalman practices painless dentistry, even when pulling a tooth.

Depending on where in your mouth your missing single tooth is, your dentist may recommend missing tooth replacement options that include:

• Dental bridge. This dental appliance prevents your remaining teeth from shifting into the open space created by the missing tooth. Dr. Shalman has to file down the adjacent teeth to fit each with a strong dental crown that’s color-matched to your natural teeth. The bridge uses these as abutments to secure the false tooth in place.
  
• Single-tooth implant. A more complicated procedure that involves minimally invasive surgery, an implant is a permanent tooth replacement that also stimulates your jaw bone just as your natural teeth do. That stops the bone from slowly dissolving from lack of use.

Contact Dr. Alex Shalman today for an examination, a diagnosis, and appropriate treatment. He tries to save your teeth whenever possible, even performing a root canal procedure when necessary to save a tooth. But when you have a gap in your teeth, he offers the best missing tooth replacement options.