Dental Bridges

What Is a Dental Bridge?

A dental bridge is a semi-permanent solution to fill in gaps when teeth have gone missing. They are bonded into place, providing a firmer grip and more stability than removable dentures, but unlike dental implants, the time necessary to place them is much reduced. Once they are in place and bonded by your dentist, they will stay in place until a dentist removes them.

Who Needs A Bridge?

Anybody missing a tooth would do well to have a dental bridge placed in their mouth if that is the recommendation of your dentist. When chewing and biting, our teeth are designed to share the pressure evenly across the surface. When teeth go missing, this can put too much pressure on a tooth and offer no complimentary structure support when the tooth next to it is missing. This can accelerate tooth damage on the teeth that are left, and cause them to break under the stress. Beyond this, there is an array of issues that can arise from the added pressure to the gums and other tissues in the mouth.

With the addition of a dental bridge, not only will eating be much restored, but talking as well. We rely heavily on our teeth for pronouncing many of the words we use. When these teeth are absent, it can become an issue with a patient’s speech and create an impediment.

If a tooth is missing, depending on where in the mouth, it can greatly affect the patient’s smile and confidence, as well as create a sunken-in look if on the side of the mouth. There are many reasons to speak with a dentist if you are wondering if a dental bridge is right for you.

Attaching A Bridge

At Shuayb Dental Institute, we have the latest technology to offer our patients. This includes the usage of a CEREC® machine. Using this machine, we can create a personalized dental bridge for you the same day. This avoids the hassle of temporary placements or having to come back to the office again and again. We also offer the more traditional dental bridge, although these will usually require two to three appointments to complete the addition.

The dental bridge is bonded to the surrounding teeth, and dental crowns are used on the other teeth as well to provide support. These crowns are cemented onto the teeth. There are a few materials used in dental bridges. At Shuayb Dental Institute, we use a variety of materials to construct our dental bridges. These include porcelain, non-precious alloys, gold alloys, and a combination of these materials. Often, we will bond porcelain to the alloy, providing both strength and pleasing aesthetics.

Missing teeth can and should be replaced. If you are dealing with missing teeth, call one of our offices today and we can speak to you about your options. When so many tasks in life including speaking and eating are affected by something easily fixable, you owe it to yourself to get the problem taken care of.