Dental Bridges

What Is a Dental Bridge?

A false tooth(called a pontic) that is held in between the surrounding teeth on both sides of the gap is referred to as a dental bridge. Your dentist can help fill up the gaps in between your teeth with the dental bridge if you have missing teeth. Usually, pontics are produced from porcelain to properly fit into the natural teeth but they are sometimes made from different types of material such as Gold.

History of Dental Bridges

The first trial on bridgework and false teeth was made Around 700BC. Unpolished false teeth were produced from human teeth/ or animal teeth were made by the Etruscans. The vase of the false teeth is mostly made of ivory gotten from walruses, elephants, and hippopotamuses.
In the past, teeth from people and animals were commonly used as tooth replacement until now. A gold dental crown was also used by Etruscans as caps for impaired teeth, this is crucial in the creation of varieties of bridgework.

Candidates for Dental Bridges

People that can opt-in for dental bridges must have two strong and healthy teeth side by side, to the part where teeth are missing. The teeth must be firmly rooted. Individuals with teeth issues that might result in treatments relating to root canals in the future shouldn’t consider doing dental bridges. This is because the teeth might get infected or become weak, which will likely cause damage to the teeth after a while.

An individual whose teeth are weak at the area to be bridged is qualified for dental implants. Implant are synthetic supports that are fixed in the gums. It takes a lot of weeks or months to get implants done depending On individuals. Implants are everlasting as soon as it is placed in the mouth, and it requires strong bones and gums.

Why Do You Need A Bridge?

To miss a tooth is a major problem. Teeth are meant to operate side by side. When a tooth is lost, the teeth nearest to it may bend or shit to the empty space. The teeth in the jaw opposite to it may as well move upward or downward into space. Your bite might be affected and it could inflict pain on you by placing serious stress on your teeth and jaw joints, which could also cause damage.

Tilted and drifted teeth are more difficult to clean. This causes an increased risk of tooth decay and gum disease. There is shrinkage of the bone when a tooth is lost. When this occurs, it affects the manner at which the jawbone gives support to the lips and cheeks. Over the years, it might result in the face looking older.

How Dental Bridge Works

It is necessary to visit at least twice when fixing a dental bridge. Three crucial steps are accomplished at the first visit. Initially, preparations are made towards fitting the surrounding teeth with a crown. These preparations involved filing down the tooth to enable the crown to fit on it. After that, an image of your teeth is taken and sent to the laboratory in preparation for the bridge and crown. Lastly, Your teeth are fixed by the dentist with a temporary bridge so as to give them protection pending the time the bridge is produced at the laboratory.

When a dental bridge is adopted as a treatment option, one of its advantages is that the healing is slight. The moment the bridge is fixed in your mouth, you can eat. Patients usually do find it easy to adjust to the bridge. But in case you feel pain, it could be that the bridge was not fixed appropriately. Therefore, an adjustment can be made by your dentist to relieve you of the pain.

Benefits of Dental Bridges

Regain Your Smile

A beautiful and healthy smile is priceless. A lot of patients regain their confidence after the completion of a dental bridge treatment. Have you ever attempted hiding your smiles in a group picture or felt uncomfortable? Dental bridges can enhance your quality of life by reinstating your smile.


Enhance Speaking

It’s always difficult to pronounce some words and your speech comes with defects when You Have lost several teeth. To resolve this problem, there is a need to tackle the tooth loss that leads to your speech being impaired. Dental bridges can help address problems with speaking which is caused as a result of tooth loss.


Helps Retain The Natural Shape Of Your Face

Your jawbone will begin to get worse if it’s not stimulated. Serious deterioration of the jawbone can cause tooth loss, as well as causing the face to lose its shape.

Enhancing Chewing

You might be faced with challenges or feel serious pain while eating your best food after a tooth is lost. This pain could result from the movement of the surrounding teeth to the direction of the open space. Moreover, the accumulation of food particles in the empty space of the tooth can also cause damage to the gum. It is advised to spend on dental bridge treatment to permanently get rid of pain while eating.


Prevent Teeth From Shifting

Your teeth might begin to bend towards the direction of the open space after a serious tooth loss. To hinder the teeth from Shifting, it is Important you fill-up space with a synthetic tooth using dental bridge treatment. When teeth move a lot it loses its firmness and these could result in further tooth loss.

Types of Dental Bridges

Traditional Dental Bridges

The most popular type of dental bridge is the orthodox bridges. They are worn when your natural teeth are surrounded by a missing tooth or when there is a presence of a gap on both sides of the teeth. The bridge is made up of one or a few pontic teeth that are supported by two abutment teeth. ”Abutment teeth “are natural teeth with a dental crown which gives support to the fake teeth, or “pontic teeth “ among them.

Cantilever Bridges

Cantilever bridges are fixed to an abutment tooth just as it is done to orthodox bridges. The difference is that it is only fixed on one side. Cantilever bridges are also used to secure a bridge When natural teeth are only present on just one side of a gap.

Maryland Bridges

When changing teeth at the front of the mouth, Maryland Bruges or resin-bonded bridges are commonly advised. The Bridges are made from metal or porcelain bands and are used to tie a pontic tooth to the backs of natural teeth that are near to them.

Implant-Supported Bridges

Implant-supported bridges are comparable to common dental bridges. The only difference is that they are supported by dental implants, unlike dental bridges which are supported by natural teeth. When you have more than one missing tooth, these bridges are used. They are also used when there is a probability of you putting too much pressure on the unconnected individual implants.

How to Take Care of Your Dental Bridges

Avoid Chewing Ice

Dental crowns and bridges are often produced from ceramics which is known to be strong and lasting. When too much pressure is placed on dental activity, it gets broken like regular teeth. Activities like chewing of ice, the opening of bottles with your teeth should be shunned. This is because it puts you at an increased risk of your dental bridge getting damaged.
Brush Your Dental Bridge Daily

Simply because your crown and bridges are synthetic don’t mean they shouldn’t undergo the appropriate dental hygiene. It is important you brush your dental work daily to prevent the growth of plaque and tartar. Use a toothbrush that is soft on your dental work but effective towards removal of build-up.
Floss Meticulously

Flossing is a very crucial part of oral care practices. Cleaning in between teeth and into the gums is very important to prevent decay or any gum relating disease from developing in between your natural teeth and your dental work. Floss daily most especially before brushing to get your mouth cleaned adequately.
Use A Fluoride Rinse

Although the primary aim of dental crown is to give strength and function to the crown of the tooth that is situated above the gum line, It is important to also give special care to the gum line to avoid the growth of bacteria and the buildup of plaque in the gum line. It is important to brush and Floss, it is also crucial to adopt the use of fluoride rinse or toothpaste with a high fluoride content to improve your smile against decay. It is important for people who are at increased risk of developing a high amount of dental decay and those who have gum disease to adopt this step.

Final Words

Book an appointment with us at Coquitlam Dental Group if you are interested in knowing more about dental bridges and see if you will be needing treatment. Porcelain veneers, dental bonding, teeth whitening, and more are available for our patients to tackle cosmetic defects. We fondly anticipate working with you to enhance your smile.

Frequently Asked Questions

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