When tooth loss becomes an issue that you face it’s important that you seriously consider tooth replacement right away. Few things can have such a dramatically negative impact on your oral health as losing a tooth. It often leads to further tooth loss and worse. That’s why we at PDX Center for Dentistry offer so many great tooth replacement options, because we care deeply about your ongoing oral health. We want to bring your mouth back to a place where its health can easily be sustained. One of the tooth replacement options that we make available to our patients is dental bridges.
Reasons for Tooth Replacement
For those who haven’t experienced tooth loss it is sometimes hard to understand why it’s so important to replace the teeth that are lost. Here are the most common reasons to replace teeth that are lost:
• Restore the smile to a state you are proud of
• Give you the ability to eat and speak without issue
• Maintain normal looking facial structure
• Prevent a change in your bite
• Protect your existing teeth from damage
The benefits of tooth replacement outweigh the cost by such a wide margin that tooth replacement makes sense virtually any way that you look at it. Whether you are considering Dental Implants, dentures, or a bridge, tooth replacement is always worth it.
What are dental bridges?
When tooth loss occurs it’s common for neighboring teeth to be subsequently loss. The result is a few consecutive teeth in a row all missing. When you are missing between one and four teeth, we are often able to place a dental bridge that will replace them in form and function. A dental bridge is a restorative appliance that can bridge the gap of one to four missing teeth. Dental bridges require at least two stable anchor points, these can be healthy, natural teeth that we alter to support the bridge, or they can be Dental Implant supported, or some mix of the two.
The Process to Receive a Fixed Bridge
Like most dental restoration procedures, to have a fixed bridge place requires at least two appointments to accomplish. During the first appointment we will numb the area and allow the numbing agent to take effect. Your comfort is our top priority. Once the area is numbed we will begin preparing the teeth that will be used as anchors to receive the bridge appliance.We alter these teeth in the same way we alter teeth that need crowns – by shaving off a portion of the enamel so that the appliance can fit over the top of them.Once the teeth have been prepared to receive the bridge, we can take an impression of the area. We will send this impression to our dental lab so that they can create a perfect replica of your real teeth. We will fit you with a temporary bridge and the first appointment will be complete.During the second appointment we will simply remove the temporary bridge and place the permanent.
