Missing Tooth: Dental Bridge or Implants?

The missing tooth should be filled, or it will cause tooth displacement and cause tooth alignment.

With the exception of the last wisdom tooth, if there is a missing tooth, the tooth at the back of the missing tooth will be tilted forward. If the missing tooth is left unfilled for a long time, the upper and lower teeth at the front and back of the missing tooth will begin to move.

Options for missing teeth reconstruction

When a tooth is missing, there are three ways to restore the tooth to its normal function:

1. The implant

2. The bridge

3. Movable dentures

Each has its advantages and disadvantages

Preparation time (from fast to slow) bridge > movable denture > implant

Costs (less to more) denture > bridge > implant

Degree of aesthetics (from beauty to ugliness) implant > bridge > movable denture

Life span (from long to short) implant > bridge > movable denture

Can withstand the bite force (from large to small) implant > bridge > movable denture

Implants

The advantage of dental implant is that it does not need to affect the adjacent good tooth, and the artificial tooth root can be directly inserted into the bone drill hole in the missing part of the tooth, and the denture can be loaded after the healing of the artificial tooth root and bone for 4-6 months. The bite force load of the implant can be the same as that of a normal tooth, so it's ok to eat a steak with guano. If the implant is well maintained and the design and material of the denture are good, it can be expected to be used for 20 to 30 years.

The downside of implants is that they take longer, are more expensive, and the surgery can be scary.

The life of the implant varies from 5 to 30 years.

Bridge

The advantage of bridge is that it can be made quickly, which can be finished in about a week. They are less expensive than implants, look good and last longer, and have about the same bite force as normal teeth.

The disadvantage of dental bridge is that it has to remove a layer of enamel from the adjacent tooth where the tooth is missing. If the bridge becomes loose due to too much bite force in the future, after the adhesive dissolves, saliva will infiltrate into the denture and cause abutment tooth decay, which will be caused by tooth extraction.

Abutment teeth on both sides of the bridge cannot be used as bridge support teeth if they are in poor health (too short root, periodontal disease).

The service life of bridge varies from 5 to 12 years.

Dentures

Removable dentures are cheap, take about 2 to 4 weeks to make, and are easy to remove and clean.

Movable denture disadvantage is not beautiful, not very hard to bite food, pressure to the gums may have pain.

The service life of movable denture is about 5~8 years.

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Veteran Affairs

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

If you have a Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) Health Card - All Conditions (Gold) or Totally & Permanently Incapacitated (Gold), DVA will fund most clinically required dental services, provided under DVA arrangements. We will provide dental services for you through the Medicare Benefits Scheme, free of charge. For information about the Gold Card, please refer to DVA website.

WHAT WILL YOU GET?

Gold card holders will normally receive all dental treatment subsidy provided, which our dentist will determine the clinical need for dental treatment. Depending on the type of treatment you need, our dentist can do this immediately without DVA approval or seek approval from the department before continuing treatment.

Procedures such as dental exams, x-rays and temporary crowns, for example, can be done without delay, while some surgeries, dental implants and artificial tooth replacements (A.K.A. dentures) must wait until the DVA approves them.

The good news is that many general dental procedures do not require approval.

ANNUAL TREATMENT LIMITS

Keep in mind that while many standard treatments don't have an annual monetary limit, some do. Our dentist will tell you what falls into this category and how much money you can spend each year on medical services.

If you have further inquiries or questions, please contact DVA directly.

HOW DO I ACCESS DENTAL SERVICES?

Currently, we only accept Gold card members to perform the treatment.

You do not need a referral from your doctor to make an appointment with us.

Come today with family members!

Do You Need an Emergency Dentist?

We know that there are days where you may need to see a dentist as soon as possible! You may have been kept up all night from your toothache and want the issue to be resolved as soon as possible. At Pain Free Dentist Sydney, we always keep some spaces available in the appointment slots everyday for patients requiring an emergency dentist. 

Pain Free Dentist Sydney is located at Hurlstone Park and we are open 6 days a week and take emergencies. 

Dental emergencies that we treat include: 

• Toothaches

• Sports injuries 

• Tooth or teeth being knocked out 

• Denture repairs 

• Crown chips

• Fractured Teeth 

• Broken filling

• Jaw pain

• Locked jaw 

In the situation that your tooth has been knocked out, please follow these first aid instructions: 

1. If the tooth is free from dirt, put the tooth straight back into the socket, making sure that you do not touch the root - only grip the crown of the tooth
2. If the tooth is dirt wash the tooth with milk or Hank's balanced salt solution and then place it back into the socket
3. If you can't place the tooth back into the socket - place it in between your back teeth and your cheek or in a container containing milk, saliva or Hank's balanced salt solution
4. Book an emergency appointment with your Dentist immediately.

If you or someone close to you have experienced a dental emergency, please do not hesitate to contact Pain Free Dentist Sydney on (02) 9818 8887 for urgent care.