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.

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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.

The visible part of your tooth, above the gumline is called the ‘crown’. Below the gum, fixing the tooth to the jaw, is the ‘root’ of your tooth. The root canal system is a network that fills a central hollow area inside the tooth and down to the roots. Root canals are filled with loose connective tissue called ‘dental pulp’ and they are responsible for nourishing and hydrating the tooth, as well as reacting to hot and and cold.

When an infection takes hold, it is this pulp which becomes inflamed, which is why it may be painful to eat or drink. Eventually a bacterial infection will cause the pulp to die. It is important to see your dentist if you are experiencing toothache, as the infection will not go away of its own accord and antibiotics cannot be used to treat a root canal infection.

If left untreated, a deep infection can spread through the whole root canal system of your tooth. In this case, the pain may subside, as the infection will have removed all of the pulp.

Why Available at all of our practices, in some circumstances we have to send you to our private practice for treatment that requires more advanced equipment.

If you have been experiencing severe tooth pain, it is possible that you may require root canal treatment. If your tooth has become damaged or cracked, you have tooth decay, large fillings or have recently had a trauma to the tooth, the chance of a root canal procedure increases, as these scenarios all leave your tooth open to infection.

When is a root canal required?

Root canal treatment (or endodontics) is required when there is an infection deep within your tooth. The blood or nerve supply may be infected either due to an injury or a severe cavity. You may not experience any pain or discomfort during the early stages of an infection, however if your tooth changes colour and darkens that is a sign that your tooth nerve is in danger of dying. If left untreated, this kind of infection can not only be very painful, but can lead to a tooth abscess or even tooth loss.

5 signs of infection:

Serious toothache when eating, or when you put pressure on the tooth. Does it hurt when you bite down hard?
Excessively sensitive teeth. Does the sensitive pain linger after the initial contact with hot or cold foods or drinks?
Darkening of your tooth. Has your tooth changed colour? This may be a sign of the nerve dying.
A small bump on the gum, close to the painful tooth.
Tender or swollen gums around the tooth.

Why is it called a root canal?