What is the dental bridge procedure?

As you get older, the number of health issues affecting your eyes, teeth and joints start to increase. Often teeth issues can result in tooth loss and leave you with a less than confident smile. If you find that a gap in your smile has left you missing your complete toothy grin, a dental bridge may be the procedure you need to restore your morale.

A dental bridge dayton ohio is a false tooth anchored in place by a crown on either side. The crowns holding the bridge in place are also called caps; they function as a new outer layer for your natural teeth. The gap is filled in with a false tooth or in some cases of a larger gap false teeth to leave you with a fresh, full smile.

Determining Your Need

If you have a missing tooth from decay or from an accident, you can talk to your dentist to see if a dental bridge is the right choice for you. No matter the reason for your tooth loss, you will not want to leave the gap for long. When there is a new space, your surrounding teeth may rotate or even start to drift into the gap. Once your teeth start to move, then your bite will no longer be balanced. If your normal bite is off, then you may find that you will start to suffer from temporomandibular joint issues like jaw pain, headaches or even gum disease.

Choosing the Right Type

Once you and your dentist determined a bridge is the best choice for your treatment plan, then you must determine which kind of bridge is the best. There are three choices that vary based on the kind of attachment in your mouth: traditional, cantilever and Maryland. A traditional bridge is anchored to a crown on either side of the replacement tooth. A cantilever bridge attaches the artificial tooth to only one crown. A Maryland bridge does not rely on crowns at all and connects the replacement tooth to existing teeth on both sides.

Desensitizing and Reshaping

To ensure that the dental bridge is the correct shape and fit for your mouth, you will need to complete the procedure over more than one appointment. The dentist will start by reshaping the teeth on either side of the gap to get the best fit for the crowns. Your dentist may offer an injection to numb the gum tissue and keep you more comfortable during the procedure. Once the teeth are reshaped and ready to accept their crowns, the dentist will fit the teeth with temporary crowns to protect the natural tooth until the permanent crowns are complete. The crowns will need to fit on the existing teeth snugly to ensure the bridge stays in place.

Fitting a Substitute

The dentist will take an impression of the missing tooth and the surrounding teeth to create a bridge that will fit your normal bite. The dentist will send the impression off to a dental lab with specifications of the proper material for your mouth and the correct color to match your teeth. Once the dentist receives your finished bridge, it will be cemented in place leaving you with a complete grin.

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