Dental bridges offer an excellent, reliable, and affordable solution to close gaps in a person’s smile caused by missing teeth. A dental bridge will give you back your confident smile while holding your teeth in place and preserving your remaining teeth. While implants can also solve this issue, some people opt for a bridge because the process is quicker. You could expect a new bridge in about two weeks whereas an implant placement with crown could take 3-6 months.
What are Dental Bridges?
A bridge is a tooth or teeth that fill the space where one or more teeth are missing. Dental bridges consist of two dental crowns with a prosthetic tooth (or teeth) in between. With the help of a bridge, your smile will be restored and the natural shape of your face is maintained.
Do I Need a Bridge?
A missing tooth will probably have a serious impact on your life. Missing tooth or teeth can loosen your remaining teeth or cause your teeth to move. They may shift or tilt to fill in the gap. A missing tooth may also result in uncomfortable chewing motions and it could place greater stress on jaw joints, and potentially even change your speech! When a tooth is missing the bone may shrink, reducing the lip and cheek support of the jawbone, actually changing the shape of your face.
Types of Dental Bridges
There are three main types of dental bridges, but the most common is the traditional bridge. This is probably what you think of when you think of a bridge. It includes a crown for the teeth or implants in either side of the missing tooth, connected with a pontic (another word for an artificial tooth). This type of bridge consists of porcelain fused to metal or ceramics.
The other types of bridges are Cantilever and Maryland Bonded bridges. If you are interested in a dental bridge to address a gap from a missing tooth or teeth, we will discuss which option is best for you based on where the gap is located in your mouth.
What to Expect
During the initial visit, we’ll focus on preparing the abutment teeth. We may need to re-contour them by removing a small portion of enamel so the crown can be placed over the top of the teeth. Next, impressions will be made of your teeth. These will serve as the template for the new bridge, pontic, and crowns. Lastly, we’ll make a temporary bridge to protect the prepared, exposed teeth and gums while the permanent bridge is being created.
When you come back for your second visit, we’ll remove the temporary bridge and your permanent bridge will be fitted and adjusted to ensure a perfect fit!
Caring for Dental Bridges
Proper dental hygiene will ensure your bridge lasts a long time. It’s important to brush and floss as you normally would. Brushing twice a day and regular flossing will help prevent tooth decay and gum disease. And don’t forget to come in for routine checkups so we can catch any potential problems early!
