A dental bridge has a maximum lifespan of 15 years.
Dr. Sarno will examine your teeth to rule out oral health problems and determine if you’re a good candidate for a dental bridge.
Before using any dental drills, we will administer local anesthesia to numb your mouth.
A dental drill is used to file down the enamel on the abutment teeth to create enough space to receive dental crowns.
After filing your teeth, impressions will be taken and sent to a dental lab that will fabricate your dental crowns.
It can take a few weeks for the dental lab to finish fabricating your bridge. We will place a temporary bridge over your teeth while you wait.
Once your official bridge has been created, we will bond the dental crowns to your abutment teeth and the bridge will fill in the gap between with a pontic tooth that is connected in the middle.
When a tooth is lost, the surrounding teeth will shift or lean into the space where your old tooth was. This can lead to crooked teeth, a misaligned bite, and can make replacing the tooth more difficult if the surrounding teeth begin drifting into the space. You will then need orthodontic treatment to correct your misaligned teeth so you can replace the tooth. This is why it’s important to replace a missing tooth right away. Unlike dentures, bridges are fixed in place with dental cement so you don’t have to worry about them moving or falling out.
Losing teeth will leave noticeable gaps in your mouth which can reduce the aesthetics of your smile and cause insecurity. When gaps are visible when you smile, you may feel insecure and begin to avoid social functions and photographs.
This can reduce your quality of life and self-esteem. By replacing missing teeth with dental bridges, the gaps are filled in with what looks like natural teeth that match the shade of your surrounding teeth.
If you’re missing teeth, normal tooth functions like chewing and speaking become more difficult. Food particles can begin to accumulate in the socket, making it more difficult to keep clean, reduced support to your facial muscles can cause your face to sag, and you may need to give up some of your favorite foods if they’re too difficult to eat.
An implant-supported bridge will prevent bone resorption from missing teeth.
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