If your smile is looking a little worse for wear, a dental bridge might be a good solution
A dental bridge is a common, inexpensive and low-risk treatment for missing teeth. The dental bridge is so called because it literally bridges the gap created when teeth are lost. One or more missing teeth can affect the appearance and functionality of your smile. Dental bridges are long-term, cosmetic restorations that hold the teeth together, creating a smile that lasts.
Crookes and Jenkins Dental offer dental bridges which are a functional way to replace missing teeth and work for hand in hand with crowns to attain the best possible, aesthetically pleasing effect.
How do dental brides work?
A dental bridge is a set of artificially created teeth that bridge over the space where teeth are missing. A bridge generally consists of three or more dental crowns (commonly known as ‘caps’) fused together to create the prosthetic dental appliance.
When missing teeth are replaced with a bridge, the adjacent teeth are prepared as the crowns will sit on these teeth to anchor the bridge and provide it with good support. Dental bridges are cemented in place using dental cement so they aren’t removable. In order to keep the supporting teeth healthy, a good oral hygiene routine is required to prevent any build-up of bacteria.
Why get a dental bridge?
The main reason the dentists at Crookes and Jenkins Dental would recommend their patients getting a bridge would be if you have one or more missing teeth. Dental bridges restore the look of your smile by substituting the missing tooth with one that looks and feels like your other natural teeth.
They are usually completed in two office visits, the first visit consists of the adjacent teeth being prepared and filed down to fit the dental crowns that will secure the bridge. Impressions are taken of your teeth so the laboratory can create an exact, permanent restoration. A temporary bridge will be fitted until your second dental visit.
In the second visit, your dentist at Crookes and Jenkins Dental will fit and adjust the dental bridge, and in some cases, the bridge is only temporarily secured so if you require any changes to fit and bite, it can be made before the bridge is more permanently secured.
Apart from the cosmetic benefits dental bridges bring, this procedure can also restore proper chewing, biting and speaking. By replacing missing teeth as early as possible, this can stop adjacent teeth from shifting or moving into the space left by the tooth, which can change your bite.
Dental bridges at Crookes and Jenkins Dental
Dental bridges are fitted specifically for each patient’s mouth which means they are sized, shaped and coloured to fit with the rest of your smile. The strength of this prosthetic means it can function almost as well as a normal tooth and if you take care of your dental bridges properly, they can last many, many years.
For more information on dental bridges, or to book an appointment, contact Crookes and Jenkins Dental today.