All of your teeth play an important role in speaking, chewing, and maintaining proper alignment of other teeth. Tooth loss can lead to difficulty speaking, and chewing, and impact the comfort of the bite. Fortunately, there are options for correcting tooth loss to maintain the proper function of your smile. A bridge is a dental restoration that can replace a missing tooth or multiple consecutive teeth. Our team can create custom-made dental bridges for patients in Raleigh, NC.
What is a Dental Bridge?
A dental bridge consists of an artificial tooth attached to adjacent natural teeth. A pontic or false tooth replaces the lost tooth, while the adjacent teeth receive dental crowns. Bridges can be constructed with porcelain or metal, or a combination of both. A single dental implant can also replace a dental bridge if a patient has one missing tooth.
Dental implants ensure that the bridge stays fixed. The implant posts also restore teeth at the root, meaning they look and feel like natural teeth. Although implant bridges have a lengthier process, they can provide permanent treatment.
Receiving a Dental Bridge in Raleigh, NC
During treatment planning, we will discuss if a traditional or implant bridge is right for you. To begin dental bridge treatment, we will take dental impressions and prepare natural teeth for crowns and bridge appliance. Before implant bridge treatment, we ensure that patients have enough jaw bone to support their implants. We will refer patients to an oral surgeon for dental implant treatment. Then, we take impressions for the bridge. We send these impressions to a lab that creates the restoration. When the bridge is complete, we ensure that it fits properly and feels comfortable.
A strict regimen of brushing and flossing will keep your bridge and surrounding teeth clean. Cleaning is critical, as the bridge relies on the neighboring teeth for support. Patients can brush their dental crowns that cap off their bridges just like their natural teeth. We will also teach patients the best way to floss if they have a dental bridge.