If you have lost a tooth, or as many as three in a row, then you need help. With a dental prosthetic, we can fill this gap with a replacement that looks natural too! In today’s blog, your team at Brighton Family Dental Group talks about addressing the gap in your smile with a dental bridge.
The Factors Behind Minor Tooth Loss
What causes someone to lose a tooth, or as many as three in a row? The factors behind tooth loss can vary, but this is often linked to issues like injuries, accidents, untreated tooth decay and infection, and in most cases, the presence of periodontitis, the advanced stage of gum disease. When you have lost even one tooth, we hope you will see our team to discuss replacement. Otherwise, this small gap could lead to misalignment, an increased risk of tooth decay and gum disease, and even strain the bite to cause painful disorders like TMD and bruxism (chronic teeth grinding). Our team can help decide whether you need a traditional dental bridge or one supported with one or more dental implants.
A Traditional Dental Bridge
A traditional dental bridge placement will involve our team numbing the teeth on each side of the gap, which we refer to as abutment teeth. We then remove structure from them, and take images of the bite and the gap with digital x-rays and intraoral cameras. With these images and measurements, our team will be able to design and craft a custom dental appliance, one that looks natural and fits comfortably!
The completed prosthetic will contain one or more new teeth with crowns attached to each end. All will be made from ceramic, which not only looks natural, but can handle daily bite faces and pressures with ease. We then attach the crowns to the prepared abutment teeth, keeping your new teeth firmly in place for up to ten years to come!
Support with Dental Implants
We could also secure a bridge with dental implants! With this option, we don’t need to remove structure from the abutment teeth. Instead, we will insert one or two dental implants into the jaw directly. These will act like new roots, and we will attach the crown portions of your new prosthetic to them, which supports your new teeth for far longer, possibly decades!
If you have any questions about how we treat tooth loss with a custom prosthetic, or whether you should consider one secured with dental implants, then contact our team today to learn more and start the tooth replacement process!
Talk to Brighton Family Dental About Placing Your Prosthetic
For treating minor tooth loss, we can secure a new dental bridge. Learn more about general dentistry by calling us at Brighton Family Dental Group in Brighton, MA, today at (617) 562-5210.
