Dental Bridges
Choose a Dental Bridge to Replace Your Missing Teeth
A missing tooth is unsightly, but it can also lead to problems that change how well your mouth works and even the shape of your face. At Kings Park Dental Center in Burke, VA, you can choose a fixed dental bridge to replace your missing tooth or teeth for a simple yet incredibly effective smile makeover.
Bridge the Gap with a Fixed Dental Bridge
A missing tooth can make you self-conscious. Missing teeth also make it difficult to chew and even to speak. A porcelain fixed dental bridge eliminates the gap between teeth, completing your smile and preventing the breakdown of oral health. Without all teeth accounted for, you could experience problems such as:
- Moving teeth. With an obvious gap left by a missing tooth, the rest of your teeth suddenly have the freedom to move around and fill the open space. Though each tooth has an independent root system, they rely on each other to stay in place. Filling the gap prevents movement and misalignment.
- Changing face shape. An understimulated jawbone can become weak and, over time, alter the shape of your face. The lower half of your face can begin to look compressed, and your face could look like it’s sinking in on itself. Populating the spaces that result from missing teeth creates stimulation where necessary so that your appearance is not dramatically altered and in need of even more extensive restorative dentistry treatments.
- Compromised neighboring teeth. When you have a missing tooth, your other teeth must work that much harder to make up for that tooth’s absence. This puts you at a greater risk of developing other oral health problems, which could ultimately require more extensive restorations and repairs.
Benefit of Dental Bridges
Looks and functions like your natural teeth.
Quickly replaces missing space.
Distributes the forces of your bite preventing remaining teeth from shifting out of place.
Fixed, does not need to be taken in and out.
Smile and eat with confidence
Can be completed in two visits and two weeks
How Does a Dental Bridge Work?
A fixed porcelain dental bridge does not work alone. The bridge is anchored in place by two porcelain crowns on either side of the once-gapped area. This solution creates a permanent restorative dentistry repair so you can smile again with confidence and trust that your teeth will not let you down during conversations or meals.
The porcelain bridge is made of a customized porcelain tooth – known as the pontic – which comes constructed with hidden clasps. The bridge is then attached to the dental crowns to hold the bridge in place and act as extra insurance for this restoration. Both the dental bridge and the porcelain crowns are bonded in place to ensure that your smile will be strong, secure, and able to function fully.
How Will a Fixed Dental Bridge Look?
One of the biggest worries patients have about restorative or cosmetic dentistry solutions is whether the repair will be obvious. For your Burke, VA, dentist, the end goal is to create a fully functioning smile that looks completely natural. A dental bridge is a stealthy solution that is hard to identify when the bridge and crowns are properly positioned in your mouth.
While the components of a dental bridge are custom-designed to match the shade, shape, and size of your natural teeth, the materials used to create these restorations can vary. Similar to dental crowns, porcelain bridges can be made of various ingredients, like metal or zirconia. Ceramic bridges or porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) bridges are some of the most common solutions.
The goal in every dental bridge procedure is to create an amazing-looking smile that is well-supported, strong, and aesthetically pleasing.
How long do Bridges last?
A porcelain dental bridge can last for several years with the proper care and upkeep. This means that the wearer of a porcelain bridge must maintain good at-home care with regular brushing and flossing. It is essential to make it to your dental exams and cleanings every six months too to ensure that your bridge, and the rest of your smile, is in good condition.
Make An Appointment
The care for a porcelain bridge is simple. You need only brush and floss as normal to prevent tooth decay and gum disease from settling in around your restoration and your remaining natural teeth. That isn’t much to ask from a hardworking and reliable restorative dentistry treatment that makes it possible for you to talk, eat, bite, chew, and smile without a hint of self-consciousness.
Talk to Dr. Bursich or Dr. Fassnacht at Kings Park Dental Center in Burke, VA, to learn more about dental bridges, dental implants, and other restorative dentistry solutions that can solve your oral health problems.