Dental bridges can be an excellent and affordable solution to handle missing teeth without requiring the use of dental implants or partial dentures. An option for those missing one or more teeth, dental bridges are available in several different configurations. At Zonies-Holgado Dental Associates, we have extensive experience in fabricating dentures to restore your winning smile.
What Can Dental Bridges Do?
Understandably, losing one or more teeth can have negative impact on both your self-confidence as well as your health. Obviously a missing tooth can make you more self conscious and less likely to smile, not to mention difficulty in chewing and maintain your overall oral health. Some of the benefits of a dental bridge include:
- Improved Appearance of Your Smile
- Prevent the Shift of Existing Teeth
- Improve Chewing & Speakin
If you’ve experienced the loss of at least one tooth, a dental bridge may be an excellent choice to replace this loss. In addition, you’ll find that the various types of dental bridges offer an incredibly natural appearance that will give you confidence to show your smile in any situation.
What Is a Dental Bridge?
A fixed bridge is a dental device used to replace a tooth that has fallen out or been removed. Since a missing tooth is both unsightly and can stimulate the onset of further dental deterioration, it’s important to treat the condition as soon as possible. Typically a dental bridge uses the support of the surrounding teeth as anchors to fill the gap left by the missing tooth. Each supporting tooth, or abutment, is attached to the filler tooth (or pontic) using a crown and the resulting dental bridge is permanent. Dental bridges are available in several different configurations to adapt to various situations. The most common are:
Traditional Bridges
Among the most common, traditional bridges replace a single missing tooth. As described above, the process involves filling the gap created by the missing tooth by placing a dental crown on each adjoining tooth and fusing them to a replacement tooth. Traditional bridges normally made of either porcelain fused to metal or ceramics.
Cantilever Dental Bridges
Less common are cantilever bridges, which are often used when there are teeth on only one side of the missing tooth or teeth. Typically, to overcome the challenge of teeth only existing on one side a 3 unit cantilever dental bridge is used, however this can vary on a case by case basis.
Whatever type of tooth loss you may have, the use of a dental bridge may be the best option to restore your oral health. Whether you’ve lost a tooth due to periodontal disease, injury, or some other reason, should ensure that your cosmetic dentist has experience in all types of dental bridges. We extensive experience in various forms of bridges and we’re ready to help you fully understand all your available options.
The Dental Bridge Procedure?
After our initial examination and it’s determined that a dental bridge is the best option for your, the process normally requires four trips to our office. During the first step, the surrounding teeth are prepared to accept the bridge involving the cleaning and filing of teeth as necessary. Once the area has been prepared to accept the bridge, we will take a mold of the teeth; afterward you will be fitted with a temporary bridge to be used while the permanent bridge is being constructed from the mold. During subsequent visits, the temporary dental bridge is replaced with the permanent one, adjusted for the proper fit and permanently bonded or cemented into the mouth.
Are You a Good Candidate for a Dental Bridge?
Beyond being in good overall and dental health, you are likely to be a good candidate for a dental bridge as long as you have strong, existing teeth that can act to support the bridge. However, if there are no teeth adjacent to the area in question, or if the existing teeth are not strong enough to support the dental bridge, it’s possible that a dental implant may be a better option.
