Fill in Large Gaps in Your Smile with a Dental Bridge

The Importance of Replacing Missing Teeth

While missing teeth can leave you feeling embarrassed and self-conscious about your appearance, they can also substantially undermine the health of your teeth, gums, and jaw. When even one aspect of your smile is not working properly, it can trigger a domino effect of health problems.

For example, if missing teeth are not replaced, the rest of your smile can shift around and throw your bite out of alignment. Without stimulation from the missing tooth's root, the jawbone may also atrophy over time. Therefore, it is in your best interest to replace missing teeth as soon as possible.

About Traditional Bridges

Traditional bridges have been used in the field of dentistry for decades. Used to replace one to three consecutive teeth, a dental bridge consists of two dental crowns that anchor artificial teeth between them. At our practice, we can fabricate dental bridges from high-quality materials for a lifelike result.

What to Expect During Treatment

In most cases, we can place your bridge in two office visits: one to prepare the teeth and one to place the final restoration. Treatment is usually broken down into several steps:

• Preparation: Enamel is removed from teeth on either side of the gap in your smile so they can serve as anchors for your new restoration.
• Digital impressions: Once your doctor has prepared the teeth, we can take digital impressions with our 3Shape 3-D intraoral scanner to send to our off-site dental lab.
• Fabrication: During the time between your two appointments, a skilled technician will craft your new restoration based off your dental impressions, a process which takes about 10 to 14 days.
• Placement: Once the final bridge is ready, we will schedule your second visit. Your doctor will remove the temporary bridge and bond the final bridge into place using dental cement. He or she will then check your bite and make any necessary adjustments.

While your gums may be somewhat sore in the days after the final placement, you should be able to return to a normal diet fairly quickly.

Benefits of Implant-Supported Restorations

In addition to traditional restorations, Beacon Place Dental Group also offers implant-supported crowns and bridges. Because dental implants use both artificial teeth and tooth roots, they can minimize bone degradation over time. Since the restorations are anchored into the jaw rather than to neighboring teeth, implants can also leave healthy teeth intact. During an initial consultation at our practice, our doctors can determine if implant-supported restorations could be an option for you.