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Dental Bridges
A good way of replacing missing teeth
Do You Have This
A missing tooth
Shifting of neighboring teeth into the empty space
Difficulty Chewing due to a missing tooth
Dissatisfaction with a removable denture
The Solution
We can use 2 or more healthy teeth next to an empty space to attach a false tooth. A dental bridge is a false tooth connected to 2 or more neighboring teeth in order to replace a missing tooth. On each side of the false tooth (the empty space), the neighboring teeth are prepared for crowns and a false tooth will “bridge” the two crowns. The dental bridge is then cemented into place and the false tooth is fabricated with the illusion of emerging out of the gums.
The Advantage
The dental bridge is made to look natural. It will be designed to make the false tooth appear as if it were coming out of the gums. Unlike a denture, a bridge is cemented into place, you will not have to remove the bridge in order to clean it. Since the bridge is cemented to the neighboring teeth, it will also prevent the neighboring teeth from shifting into the empty space, which could lead to malocclusion, periodontal disease, or tooth loss.
Chewing will also be more efficient with a bridge and you will experience less cheek and tongue biting since the cheek and tongue will not have that space to occupy.
The dental bridge also has the ability to improve the appearance of the teeth that it is replacing.
The Disadvantage
The supporting teeth will now be exposed to more force when chewing. Because the supporting teeth are helping to replace a missing tooth, they will incur the biting force of the missing tooth. Supporting teeth also have to be reduced to fit the bridge. If a neighboring tooth is free of decay, its healthy tooth structure will have to be sacrificed to fit a bridge.
The Alternatives
A dental implant is a better alternative to a dental bridge. An implant is self-supporting and does not rely on the neighboring teeth to replace a missing tooth.
Another alternative is a denture, but these devices will put even more pressure on the supporting teeth that could lead to additional tooth loss. Avoid this option, unless there are no other alternatives.
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