When you lose one or more of your teeth, the function and health of your smile suffers. Eventually, you could develop poor dental alignment and even trouble eating your favorite foods. Fortunately, your Brighton, MA, dentist can help with bridges, which help return smiles to full function and health, while also blending with your natural teeth.
How Does a Bridge Work?
A dental bridge helps replace between one and three lost teeth in a row, addressing minor and significant gaps in your smile. The prosthetic itself will consist of new teeth, known as pontics, with crowns on each end. The crowns will be placed on abutment teeth, which sit on either side of the gap. This secures your new prosthetic firmly in place. With proper care and attention, they can last between 10 and 15 years, providing a durable and secure chewing surface. We also take steps to ensure they look natural and blend with your smile, often using materials like porcelain to craft them.
Creating Your New Teeth
To create them, we start with an initial exam to assess the cause and extent of your tooth loss. We then remove structure from the abutment teeth, which makes room for the crowns. Our team then takes detailed impressions and measurements of your smile. We use the information we gather to design and create a custom prosthetic. The materials we use can often be shaded to match the color and translucence of tooth enamel, and the materials can also absorb daily bite forces and pressures, just as your natural teeth do.
Placement
When you return for your second visit, we will place the crowns onto the abutment teeth with a powerful bonding agent. The crowns then anchor your pontics firmly in place. We take steps to ensure a comfortable fit as well, so you don’t even notice the new portions of your smile until you look in a mirror. To keep them strong, you will need to continue brushing and flossing daily, and seeing us every six months for a checkup and cleaning. Remember, the bridge is held in place with abutment teeth that are still vulnerable to decay, infection, or gum disease. Routine care not only keeps them strong, but helps prevent further tooth loss as well. If you have any questions about tackling your missing teeth, then please contact our team today to learn more.
Do You Have Questions About Replacing Missing Teeth?
Our team is available to address minor and severe tooth loss with durable and of course, custom-made dental prosthetics. To learn more about dental prosthetics, then schedule a consultation by calling Brighton Family Dental Group in Brighton, MA, today at (617) 562-5210. We proudly welcome patients from Brighton, Watertown, and all surrounding communities.
