Did Your Teen Damage An Adult Tooth? The Best Replacement Choices
Did your teen crack their tooth severely and now they need to have the tooth removed and replaced with an alternative option? If so, there are a few options you'll want to consider for their smile, depending on their age and what you think is best.
The most practical options to pick from are either veneers or dental implants. Here are the pros and cons of each of these options for your teen.
Veneers
Veneers will be a fast and easy solution for the problem if there is still a portion of the tooth left, but they aren't going to last forever. The average lifespan for veneers is only about 5-10 years. The dentist can file the tooth as much as needed, along with some of the teeth around the damaged tooth, and then a set of veneers will be bonded to the existing teeth. The cosmetic dentist will shape the veneers so they look like natural teeth, and you may want to whiten the other teeth to match the veneers.
Dental Implant
A permanent dental implant will be infused in the jaw bone where the tooth went missing, and it can last for a lifetime. The implant will look and feel like the tooth that they lost, you can easily floss around it and brush the tooth like you normally would, and you shouldn't have to worry about it cracking or breaking. The dental implant is the healthiest option your teen can have in their mouth, other than the teeth they were born with.
The surgeon will have to determine if your teen is old enough to get the implants surgically implanted on the bone, and if the bones are dense enough to support the procedure. Choosing this option for your teen is choosing an item they shouldn't have to replace, which is an investment in their oral health.
If you know that your teen will need to have their damaged tooth extracted from the mouth and you aren't sure how you want to replace it, talk with the oral surgeon to see what option is going to look the best for your teen, and what option is going to last the longest. Losing an adult tooth at a young age doesn't have to mean a lifetime of dental work and replacement or maintenance, and instead you can get a permanent implant that your teen doesn't have to stress about.
For more information, talk to a professional like Oral Surgery Associates Inc.
Share