Replace Teeth with Dental Bridges
At the Manchester Center dental office of Jonathan E. Mason, DMD, we work hard to help patients achieve and maintain their healthiest smiles. Our treatment planning is geared toward prevention, but when we’re not able to stop damage, decay, or tooth loss, Dr. Mason and his team are here to help you repair your smile. We offer a wide range of conservative restoration options, including crown supported dental bridges that can be used to replace one or more consecutive missing teeth. While many patients think that a single missing tooth is no big deal, even one lost tooth can have a negative impact on your oral health. If you need help repairing your smile or replacing one or more teeth, please call our team to schedule a restorative dentistry consultation. We’ll partner with you to plan for complete smile restoration that preserves the greatest amount of healthy tooth structure.
Why is Replacing Missing Teeth Important?
When you lose even one tooth, your whole smile is adversely impacted. The lost tooth root structure leads to diminished gum tissue volume and jawbone resorption. This can take months or years, depending on the individual patient, but it’s extremely detrimental to the health and function of your bite. Over time, the loss of gum tissue volume and jawbone density can even lead to further tooth loss. Additionally, the pressure typically absorbed by the lost tooth when chewing has to be taken on by other teeth. This added pressure can lead to chips and cracks in the enamel of your teeth. The added wear also weakens the enamel making it more likely that you’ll experience tooth decay.
How are Dental Bridges Placed?
Dental bridges are placed over the course of two treatment visits. The initial treatment appointment is for preparation and planning. We may need to remove the damaged tooth or teeth. Then, the surrounding teeth are prepared to be fitted with dental crowns to support the bridge. Once your bite is prepared, we capture impressions of the teeth that will be used to craft your fixed bridge restoration. To protect the prepared tooth structure, we place a temporary dental bridge. When we receive the final bridge from our lab, you’ll come back for your second appointment. This visit is shorter. We simply remove the temporary and replace it with your flawless, custom dental bridge.
Do I Need to Care for Dental Bridges Differently?
For the most part, you can continue to brush and floss each day as usual. However, we may recommend a few changes to your daily oral hygiene routine to help you avoid excessive wear and other damage to your fixed bridge restoration. A soft toothbrush is essential, and we will also demonstrate proper technique to ensure you aren’t placing unnecessary pressure on your dental restoration. A less abrasive toothpaste may also be recommended. Waxed flosses or unique flossing tools like air and water flossers can also benefit your repaired smile, allowing you to remove plaque buildup around the fixed bridge without pulling at the edges of your replacement tooth or teeth.