Have you recently had a tooth removed due to gum disease, decay, or physical trauma? The moment a tooth is lost, your neighboring teeth can begin to shift out of place, making tooth replacement crucial following an extraction. That’s where dental bridges from Dr. Kim-Ngan Do can make all the difference. These personalized restorations are designed to fit inside your mouth exactly, last for many years, and give you confidence in your smile and bite. Call D Smiles Family Dentistry today to learn more about dental bridges and how they could be the answer to your missing tooth.
WHAT ARE DENTAL BRIDGES?
Dental bridges are larger, more complex restorations made up of several dental crowns. This works to create a tooth replacement that looks, feels and functions like a natural tooth. While the crowns on either end of the bridge attach to neighboring teeth to remain in place, the crowns in the middle (or pontics) are designed to fill the gap in your smile and prevent your natural teeth from shifting out of place. If you’d prefer, a dental bridge can be attached to dental implants in order to remove the need for modifying existing teeth.
WHEN ARE DENTAL BRIDGES NECESSARY?
If you are missing either a single tooth or multiple consecutive teeth, a dental bridge may be the best solution to address your oral health needs. During your consultation at our Gainesville, VA office, Dr. Do will confirm which teeth are missing and whether a dental bridge is the best tooth replacement option to consider. More often than not, teeth need to be removed either because they have suffered severe decay that has left the tooth beyond repair or physical trauma (such as long-term teeth grinding or short-term injury) cracked the tooth to the point of needing extraction.
HOW DOES THE PROCESS WORK?
During your exam, Dr. Do will make sure that no decay or gum disease is present before beginning treatment. Once these problems (if any) are addressed, she can create an impression of your teeth in order to design and fabricate a personalized dental bridge. The creation of the bridge occurs at an offsite dental lab by trusted lab technicians, which means it will take at minimum two appointments to complete. Ahead of the impression, a very small amount of enamel is modified so the bridge can be secured properly, similarly to a dental crown.
BENEFITS OF CHOOSING DENTAL BRIDGES
Dental bridges provide many benefits following their placement. For example, your future tooth replacement can:
- Make chewing your favorite foods easier (and improve digestion along the way)
- Prevent neighboring teeth from shifting into the open gap in your smile (thus preventing misalignment of your bite and teeth)
- Make your smile complete, boosting confidence in your appearance
- Reduce your risk of developing disorders related to your jaw, such as TMD