Dental Bridges: Restoring Your Smile and Confidence

Missing teeth don’t just compromise your smile; they also affect your speech, jaw alignment, and confidence. Furthermore, untreated tooth loss can cause chewing issues and increase the risk of cavities.

Luckily, you can fill up missing teeth with a tooth bridge to restore the beauty of your smile. Discover what dental bridges are, their benefits, and the types available from Ingenious Dentistry serving Houston, TX.

What Are Dental Bridges?

What is a dental bridge? A dental bridge is an artificial tooth that fills gaps left by missing teeth. This tooth bridge consists of two parts- prontics and a crown. The pontics are artificial teeth with the shape, color, and size of your natural teeth.

The crowns help secure the pontics to adjacent natural teeth or dental implants. Dental technologists make teeth bridges from porcelain or ceramic, which are sturdy and biocompatible.

How Dental Bridges Restore Your Smile

Dental bridges restore your smile by filling the unsightly gaps left by missing teeth. With the bridges, your smile will appear natural and aesthetically pleasing. Beyond filling teeth gaps, dental bridges restore your smile in the following ways:

1. They prevent the remaining teeth from shifting

When you lose a tooth, the surrounding teeth will begin filling in the gaps. The shift can cause tooth misalignment, thereby compromising your smile. Dental bridges prevent the teeth from shifting, preserving your smile.

2. The Bridges Support Proper Jaw Alignment

Unfixed missing teeth can lead to jaw misalignment. The misalignment can cause overbites or underbites, which make the smile less attractive. Dental bridges act as natural teeth, ensuring that your jaw remains well-aligned even after you lose some teeth.

3. Dental Bridges Prevent Tooth Decay and Gum Disease

Missing teeth increase the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. This is because the remaining teeth can wear out quickly due to overuse and uneven distribution of bite forces. The worn-out teeth can further compromise your smile. Dental bridges reduce the risk of tooth decay, helping safeguard your smile.

The Different Types Of Dental Bridges

Tooth loss comes in several forms. For instance, at times, you might lose a single tooth. In other instances, you might lose several teeth. On this account, there are many types of dental bridges, each designed to address varying dental needs.

The most common types we help fit for our patients in Houston, TX, include:

• Traditional bridges. Traditional dental bridges are the most common type. Dentists use these bridges when you have natural teeth surrounding the gaps. The bridges are made of ceramic or porcelain to last long.
• Cantilever bridges. The cantilever bridges are ideal when natural teeth are only on one side of the gap. Unlike traditional bridges, this type anchors onto one tooth and not two.
• Maryland bridges. The dentists at Ingenious Dentistry use Maryland bridges to replace missing front teeth. This tooth bridge has metal or porcelain wings that attach the pontic teeth to the back of natural teeth.
• Implant-supported bridges. The implant-supported teeth are an excellent fit for people with several missing teeth. Instead of natural teeth, the pontic teeth are anchored to implants.

Dental Bridge Candidates

Everyone wants their best solution to fill the gap and ensure a happy smile. During a dental check-up from one of the Medical Center Dental Group dentists who do bridges, he or she will check to ensure your gums are healthy and free from disease and that your anchor teeth are healthy and strong enough to support a bridge.

Factors to Consider Before Getting a Dental Bridge

Along with checking your gums, your dentist will evaluate the overall health of your teeth and bones to ensure that a routine bridge is your best treatment option. Other needs, such as fillings or gum treatments, may need to be addressed before a bridge is placed. Other options, such as dental implants, may be better suited for you.

If you have concerns about the cost of a tooth dental bridge and how much your insurance may cover, the Ingenious Dentistry staff will help you investigate these issues.

How Does a Dental Bridge Work?

Most dental bridges are made with a synthetic tooth matched to the neighboring teeth on either side of the gap. While the anchor teeth may have, at some point, required fillings, they should be in overall good health with strong, healthy roots.

A crown is customarily placed over each of the anchor teeth to support the synthetic tooth while restoring your healthy bite. Porcelain is commonly used and properly matched to your existing teeth for a consistent natural appearance.

What to Expect Before and After a Dental Bridge

Any fillings or repair work necessary on the anchor teeth will be performed during your first visit. You can expect local anesthesia for your comfort. An impression will be taken in the area where the bridge will be placed along with the adjoining teeth. You may receive a temporary filling on one or both anchor teeth.

When your new bridge is ready, you will return. Any temporary fillings will be removed, and your bridge will be set in to ensure proper fitting. Your new bridge will be permanently installed once you are comfortable with the fit and appearance.

Confidently Smile Again with a Dental Bridge from Ingenious Dentistry

Filling in that gap from a missing tooth can help you feel more comfortable in all aspects of your daily life. You will no longer suffer from being self-conscious of your smile at work or play.

If you are ready to be happy with your smile again, contact Ingenious Dentistry for an estimate of the cost of a tooth dental bridge and to set up an appointment for a consultation. We are conveniently located in the Texas Medical Center’s Scurlock Tower. Our Houston office hours are from 7 am until 5 pm, Mondays through Thursdays.

Transform Your Smile With Dental Bridges From Ingenious Dentistry

Teeth gaps, more so those in conspicuous places, can lower the appeal of your grin. Even worse, these gaps can lead to other secondary issues like shifting of adjacent teeth and jaw misalignment, further diminishing your facial aesthetics.

The experts at Ingenious Dentistry understand the value of a bright smile. For this reason, we can help restore your lost smile with dental bridges so you regain your confidence.

Contact us to begin your journey towards a beautiful smile.

IMG Credit: Jelena Trifunovic