Thinking of Getting Dental Bridges? Here’s What You Need to Know

Many adults are losing teeth each day, and many more have missing teeth. In fact, millions of Americans are missing a tooth or two. Many reasons lead to missing pearly whites, including injuries, infection, and poor oral hygiene.

Regardless of how you lost your teeth or how many teeth you have lost, there are fantastic tooth replacement options such as dental bridges. Dental bridge treatment can help “bridge the gap.” Modern dentistry has made it possible for dental bridges to be more life-like, thus improving the appearance and function of your teeth.

About Dental Bridges

A dental bridge derives its name from its purpose because it is designed to “bridge a gap” between teeth. They restore your smile and ensure that the teeth on either side of the gap don’t become loose.

Dental bridges have been around for decades, and they have been evolving to what they are today. Now, four types of bridges can cater to different needs. For bridges to be effective, they are comprised of the following:

• Pontic. This is the replacement or false tooth that fills the space where your tooth had occupied. Two dental crowns are usually attached on either side of the pontic.
• Dental Crowns. Two dental crowns are used to hold the replacement tooth in place; that’s why they are fixed on either side of the false or replacement tooth.

But, for a typical dental bridge to be effective, they need anchorage. In other words, they need you to have healthy natural teeth on either side of the gap. If you do, then the two dental crowns will be placed on your natural teeth. Your natural teeth used for anchorage are also known as abutment teeth.

Why Would You Need a Bridge?

Your mouth was never designed to have gaps, let alone gaps caused by missing teeth. So, when there are huge spaces between your teeth, you may notice that your teeth are shifting. Also, if you don’t seek dental bridge treatment, the teeth on the opposite jaw may start moving toward the gap.

If this happens, you may have to deal with:

• Chewing difficulties.
• Bite-related issues.
• Self-consciousness because of poor dental aesthetics.
• Pain from the stress on your jaw and teeth.

Therefore, the purpose of coming to our tooth bridges office to undergo the dental bridges procedure is for you to avoid the changes listed above and help you to:

• Keep your remaining teeth in their natural position.
• Restore your smile.
• Maintain the shape of your face.
• Restore your chewing ability.
• Restore your pronunciation.

Types of Dental Bridges

As mentioned earlier, we have four types of bridges that you can choose from to meet your specific needs. These are:

• Traditional Fixed Bridge

Among all the bridges, the conventional bridge is probably the one that people use the most. These bridges have a replacement tooth or pontic that is attached to two crowns. They are the go-to option if you have healthy, strong teeth that are adjacent to the gap.

They are made from ceramic or porcelain fused to metal. Also, they are sturdy, which means that they can replace missing back teeth. The only issue is that your natural teeth have to be prepared to receive crowns, meaning that our dentist has to remove some of the enamel to create room for the dental crowns.

• Cantilever Bridge

The cantilever bridge is similar to the conventional bridge in many respects. However, the significant difference between them is that cantilever bridges have one crown attached to the pontic instead of two. They are used when you only have one natural tooth adjacent to the gap.

• Maryland Dental Bridges

These bridges are excellent for replacing front teeth. They are made from porcelain or ceramic fused to a metal framework. So, they operate as the conventional bridge, but they don’t have crowns attached to the replacement tooth.

So, the resin is used to attach the bridge to the abutment teeth. The upside of using them is that no enamel needs to be removed.

• Implant-Supported Bridge

If you desire to replace several missing teeth, go for implant-supported bridges. These bridges are supported by dental implants instead of abutment teeth. Implant-supported bridges are secure and comfortable.

For dental bridge treatment, contact us at Weymouth Dental Associates.