When you have a missing tooth, or up to three in a row, we can help address the gap with a dental bridge. This prosthetic can address the gaps in the smile and offer results that look natural. In today’s blog, your Des Moines, IA, dentist talks about how we custom-make a dental bridge, and our options for supporting them.
Addressing Tooth Loss
When you lose natural teeth, you develop more than just an unsightly gap in your smile. Eating your favorite foods could become difficult, clear speech could be a problem, and misalignment could develop that further harms your appearance and oral health. The body also suspends the flow of calcium and phosphates to the jawbone around the lost root, which means the bone tissue gradually breaks down. This causes further tooth loss and for some, a prematurely aged appearance! To avoid these issues, you need a prosthetic to fill the gap in your smile. We can help with a dental bridge!
Crafting a Prosthetic
Every smile is unique, and needs a prosthetic custom-made for it. This helps ensure not only a natural appearance, but a comfortable fit and a balanced bite too. To begin, we will numb the teeth on either side of the gap and then gently remove structure from them. We take detailed digital images of these abutment teeth, and use the impressions in a lab setting to design and craft your bridge. The prosthetic will contain a new tooth or teeth with crowns attached to each end. The crowns will be attached to the abutment teeth to keep the bridge in place. We craft the prosthetic from ceramic, a durable material we can also shade to blend with your smile.
Support Options
A traditional option is held in place with crowns attached to abutment teeth, and tend to last about 10 to 15 years, requiring replacement as the jaw ridge gradually changes shape. However! We could also insert one to two dental implants into your smile. These bond with the jaw like natural roots, and this prevents changes to jaw ridge shape. We then attach the prosthetic to them, so no natural teeth lose structure, and your new ones can last for decade or in some cases, a complete lifetime.
If you have any questions about our bridge options, or whether you need a traditional or implant-secured one, then contact our team today to learn more. We want to help you smile with confidence again!
YOUR DES MOINES, IA DENTIST PROVIDES NEW SMILES
We would like to help you enjoy a complete smile again with a replacement option. If you have any questions about replacing missing teeth, then contact your Des Moines, IA, dentist, Dr. Burds, by calling 515-244-9565.