Losing your teeth can mean feeling embarrassed about your appearance. Tooth loss can also mean a negative impact on your overall oral health. In order to restore lost teeth the doctor may recommend a dental bridge. Can anyone wear a dental bridge? Will this option restore your lost tooth completely?
Commonly Asked Questions About Dental Bridges
Question: What’s the big deal about tooth loss?
Answer: First, losing teeth can affect how you eat and your ability to be clearly understood when speaking. The surrounding teeth may also drift out of place towards the empty socket, leading to misalignment. Finally, the body may stop supplying the jawbone around the lost tooth with doses of calcium and phosphorus, allowing the bone to deteriorate and potentially leading to further tooth loss.
Question: How does a dental bridge work?
Answer: A dental bridge replaces one or more teeth in a row. We create a replacement tooth or teeth and attach crowns to each end. The natural teeth on either side of the gap will be prepared and have the crowns placed on them, anchoring the replacement tooth/teeth into place. The bridge will require special cleaning that the dentist will explain in detail.
Question: Who qualifies for one?
Answer: We recommend this one for people who are missing one or more teeth in a row. We will then examine your smile to decide if this is really the best choice for correcting your smile.
Question: Do I have other options?
Answer: If you are missing a single tooth we can replace it with a dental implant. Unlike bridges, this doesn’t require crowns; instead the implant will be inserted directly into the jawbone like a natural tooth.
