Dental bridges for better oral health and more confidence
A missing tooth (or multiple missing teeth) can certainly be embarrassing, and it can often impact your confidence. You want to be able to speak, smile, and laugh freely, and a dental bridge can help. A tooth bridge addresses the cosmetic and aesthetic issues with having a missing tooth, but it also aids in maintaining your oral health.
Why is replacing a missing tooth necessary?
Missing teeth can happen easily, particularly as we advance in age and our teeth become weakened. You may wonder why it’s necessary to address a missing tooth at all, but the reality is that the longer you go without that tooth in place, the worse your teeth will get.
If left untreated, a missing tooth will cause all of the teeth in your mouth to shift and fill in the empty space.
This can cause larger dental issues like:
● Poor tooth alignment
● Bite issues
● Difficulty chewing
● Jaw and tooth pain
● A change in your face shape
What kind of bridges are there?
The type of bridge you get will depend on the condition of your remaining teeth. A dental bridge needs to
be fixed either to healthy teeth or to dental implants.
● Traditional fixed bridges are the most common type of dental bridge. They are placed by being secured to two or more crowned teeth and they contain “filler teeth” in between to fill in the gap of the missing tooth.
● Bridges supported by implants are similar to traditional bridges, only they are fixed to dental implants instead of existing teeth. This option is ideal for patients who don’t have healthy teeth surrounding the missing tooth.
