Dental Bridge Procedure

If you are missing one or more teeth or have advanced decay in one or more of your teeth, you may be considering a dental prosthetic. One of the prosthetics that may be available to you is a dental bridge. A bridge is meant to fill in the gaps from missing teeth. A bridge has a cap or crown on each end of it. The cap is placed on the teeth on both sides of the space left from the missing teeth. One or more teeth are then placed on the bridge and put in the gap.

Prosthetics such as dental bridges are important for the overall health of your mouth. When you lose teeth, the tissues, bones, and remaining teeth in your mouth go through a natural process. Your bite changes as the result of the lost teeth and as your mouth begins to compensate for the change in your bite, the tissues, bones, and remaining teeth begin to move and change. This can cause structural changes to your mouth that affect its function and appearance.

What is the process?

The first step of the process is to talk to your dentist. In some cases, a dental bridge may not be the right option for you. You may need to have full or partial dentures made that are removable. If your dentist thinks that a bridge is the right option for you, the process will more than likely follow these basic steps.

The first step is to determine which type of bridge is right for you. There are four types: traditional, cantilever, Maryland, and implant-supported. A traditional bridge is an artificial tooth (teeth) in between two crowns. A cantilever bridge is an artificial tooth attached to only one crown. A Maryland bridge is an artificial tooth connected to the existing teeth on both sides of it. An implant-supported bridge is a bridge that is connected to an implant(s) put into your mouth. It is not connected to your natural teeth. Your dentist will recommend which bridge is right for you.

Once you and your dentist have determined which bridge is right for you, you will begin a multi visit procedure. The first action that your dentist will take is to resize the teeth that will house the crowns. You will be given a local anesthetic to desensitize the area to be worked on. The dentist will either fill in your teeth to shape them the correct way or will file them down.

The next step is to create and fit the bridge. Your dentist will take an impression of your mouth and send it to a laboratory for the construction of the bridge. It is important that the bridge fit your mouth perfectly. The bridge will take a few weeks to make and in the meantime you will be given a temporary bridge to preserve the structure of your mouth. Once the dental bridge comes in, your dentist will bring you back and will replace the temporary bridge with permanent one. The bridge will be cemented in. Your new bridge will last over 10 years if you take good care of it with routine dental checkups and cleanings.

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