Fill Gaps Caused By 1 To 3 Missing Teeth
A dental bridge restores the appearance and health of your mouth by covering spaces with a false tooth supported by either dental implants, your natural teeth, or a combination of both. Sometimes referred to as a ‘fixed partial denture’, bridges are bonded or cemented to your teeth and do not need to be removed to sleep or to clean them. Filling tooth gaps is important, not just for appearances, but for your long-term oral health. Missing teeth can make it difficult to speak or chew food and, with a gap, other teeth are free to shift around.
Long-Lasting Benefits Of Dental Bridges
A missing tooth or teeth can leave us feeling self-conscious and uncomfortable. A dental bridge is a great way to get your smile looking and feeling normal again, but it also offers long term benefits for your other teeth and the bone health of your mouth. To sum it up, here are the advantages of a dental bridge:
Comfort
Tooth health
Bone health
There are different types of dental bridges – permanent and semi-permanent. Bridges are sometimes referred to as fixed partial dentures because they are semi-permanent and are bonded to existing teeth or implants. The easiest way to tell the difference between a bridge (which stays put) and a denture (which is removable) is that bridges are just the teeth whereas dentures have those pink gums.
Cantilever bridges are used when there aren’t adjacent teeth on both sides of the missing teeth. They aren’t very common anymore and aren’t recommended in the back of the mouth where it can apply too much force to other teeth and damage them. If your missing teeth are in the back of your mouth, there are other solutions available.
The process usually takes two appointments with each appointment lasting less than an hour.
Bridges can be constructed from gold alloys, non-precious alloys, porcelain, or a combination of these materials. We primarily use porcelain for our dental bridge procedures.
Sometimes, people use the terms dental bridge and crown interchangeably. The reality is they have different functions. Dental crowns are prosthetic caps that are placed over broken, chipped, or worn teeth. They are effective in strengthening the teeth and preventing tooth decay. Dental bridges are designed to bridge the gap created by one or more missing teeth.
A crown, all by itself, cannot replace a missing tooth. The crown refers to a dental cap that looks and feels like a tooth but it needs to be supported inside and beneath the gum line by either an existing and prepared tooth, a partial tooth with a post or a dental implant.
Bridges can be made of Zirconia. Ask us for more information and we would be happy to show you what materials are available and what our recommendations are for your specific needs.
