Dental Bridges Close The Gaps In Your Smile

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des moines dental bridges

When you lose a tooth, or have a gap of two to three teeth in a row, then you need a prosthetic to protect your smile. A dental bridge is a lifelike and durable prosthetic designed to blend with your smile and restore function. In today’s blog, your Des Moines, IA, dentist talks about how we create and place our dental bridges.

The Causes of Your Missing Teeth

Gaps can appear in our smiles for a number of different reasons. People may lose a tooth due to untreated cavities, which cause infection and eventual tooth loss. A serious injury could knock one out and leave a gap behind. But the most common cause of a missing tooth is gum disease. The advanced stage of the disease, known as periodontitis, can cause the tissue connecting the teeth and gums to break down, causing tooth loss. When we lose teeth, we could develop misalignment, TMJ disorder, and even bruxism (teeth grinding). Missing teeth also complicate how we eat and speak.

Creating Dental Bridges

For minor cases of tooth loss, such as one to three lost teeth in a row, we could recommend a dental bridge. This prosthetic contains new teeth, which we refer to as pontics, with crowns attached to each end. We create them based on detailed images we take of your smile after we remove structure from the abutment teeth. The abutment teeth are the natural teeth on either side of the gap in your smile. The prosthetic will be made from ceramic, and shaded to blend with your smile seamlessly. We attach the crowns to the abutment teeth, securing the pontics in place firmly. This option can provide between 10n and 15 years of tooth replacement!

Support with Dental Implants

We could also support them with dental implants. With this option, we don’t remove structure from the abutment teeth at all, preserving your natural tooth structure. Instead, we insert one to two free standing dental implant posts into the jaw, where they bond with the smile and act as new roots. We attach the crowns to these posts. The implants will stay in place for decades to come, maybe even a lifetime, so you have new teeth that will last much longer.

If you have any questions about addressing tooth loss with a dental bridge, then contact our team today to learn more. We want to help you smile with confidence again!

TALK TO YOUR DES MOINES, IA DENTIST’S OFFICE ABOUT TREATING TOOTH LOSS

Our team wants to help people enjoy a complete and beautiful smile again. If you would like to find out more about addressing cases of minor tooth loss, then contact your Des Moines, IA, dentist, Dr. Burds, by calling 515-244-9565.