Whats the best alternative to tooth loss...?

I have a friend that had beautiful teeth at one time, and down the years, she didn't have the funds to keep up with dental care and now she's lost a good bit of her teeth. Thank God they're all in the back, but now she has 2 teeth that have cavities and are going to have to come out eventually. One is next to the front tooth, and the other is the front tooth. When she speaks, now she has a permanent lisp because this hole is getting bigger and bigger. She is not even 40 yet, and she's dreading them coming out, and she may have to get dentures. Does anyone have any other alternatives to dentures, thats not expensive or is she going to have to opt for dentures...and how do I tell her. No one will know the difference, but she's very attractive and she's afraid of losing her teeth in any event.
Answer:
Depending on her situation, a bridge may be a good option for replacing her front teeth. In order to do a bridge, the teeth on either side of the space would need to be structurally sound enough to support the bridge. To replace the missing back teeth, a removable partial denture would be the most affordable route. It is very important to replace those back teeth, because they are meant to take the brunt of chewing food, and when they're gone, we have to chew with our front teeth, which are really meant more for cutting and tearing the food. This means that the front teeth wear down much faster. There are ways of making partial dentures now that are very natural looking, without all the gaudy wire clasps showing like in years past. I wish your friend the best of luck and hope that she gets the best care possible so that she can stay healthy and beautiful.

---

if her teeth can still be filled (i.e. they're not so rotten that they're falling apart) then root canal work may save the nerve and hence the tooth. if not, then denture or bridgework may be the only way. once a tooth is too badly damaged by decay it has to come out.

---

The best cheap alternative to dentures you are going to get is fixing the teeth now and hoping to save them before it gets farther. All options of replacing teeth are very expensive be it bridges, implants, partials, or dentures.

---