When you lose a tooth, or possibly as many as two to four in a row, then you may benefit from a dental bridge. The dental prosthetic can fill the gap and protect you from the complications of tooth loss. In today’s blog, your Bellaire, TX, dentist talks about our traditional and dental implant-secured dental bridges.
When Your Smile Needs a Prosthetic
Tooth loss can lead to serious trouble for your smile. For example, a gap could cause surrounding teeth to move, drifting from position to cause misalignment can change your smile’s health and appearance in negative ways. The pressure from the gaps in your smile could increase the risk of painful complications like TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding). You could also develop issues with eating your favorite foods, speaking clearly, or with a weakened jawbone that can cause further tooth loss. But with a bridge, we can fill the space in your smile and protect your overall oral health!
Traditional Tooth Replacement
For a traditional dental bridge, our team will numb the teeth on each side of the gap, known as abutment teeth, and remove structure from them. We then take detailed images of these teeth and use the information in a lab setting to design your prosthetic. The prosthetic is made from ceramic, so we can shade it to blend with your smile seamlessly. This contains new teeth with crowns attached to one or both sides, and can address gaps of one to four missing teeth in a row. We attach the crowns to the abutment teeth to secure your new ones, firmly in place. The prosthetic tends to last 10 to 15 years before requiring replacement.
Placing Dental Implants
With the dental implant option, our team does not need to remove healthy structure from abutment teeth. Instead, we carefully place dental implant posts into the gap, usually one or two, and these bond with the jaw like natural roots. This also stimulates the growth of jawbone structure, so your new teeth can last far longer than traditional options. We attach the crown portions to the implant posts, securing your new smile for decades to come with proper care and attention! This also prevents further breakdowns in the jaw, and allows you to smile with confidence.
If you have any questions about how we support a custom bridge, and whether a traditional or implant option is right for you, then contact our team today to get started. We what to help you enjoy a summer with a full smile, with results that can last for many years to come!
Talk To Our Team About Prosthetic Dentistry Today
If you have one or more missing teeth and would like to schedule an appointment for a dental bridge, call Contemporary Dental in Bellaire, TX, today at (713) 668-9119.