Fast Facts About Dental Bridges

In restorative dentistry, dental bridges are a big deal. They are very resourceful for replacing missing teeth. Even then, many people are still under-informed about these oral appliances and their use in restorative dentistry. While knowing about every dental appliance is not your responsibility, learning a thing or two about the procedure you are yet to take can give you an advantage and allow you to remain calm throughout your treatment.

What Are Dental Bridges?

They are tooth replacement devices that are used for missing teeth. Dental bridges feature a replacement tooth sandwiched between two dental crowns. This is the typical definition of a dental bridge. In such a dental bridge, you would require to have two adjacent teeth on both sides of the lost tooth for support. However, there are other types of bridges that are unconventional and different from a traditional dental bridge. They are:

• Cantilever bridges – they feature the artificial tooth and one dental crown. This means that only one adjacent tooth to the lost tooth will be needed to complete your treatment.
• Maryland bonded bridges – they are the most distinctive type of bridge. They feature a replacement tooth bonded to a metal framework. Ideally, the replacement tooth gets its support from metal brackets, usually attached to the backside of teeth for support.

The Process of Dental Bridge Placement

The procedure of getting dental bridges differs from one patient to another. A big factor is the kind of bridge you are getting. Typically, you can expect the treatment to be similar to that of getting dental crowns, only that it is to place a dental bridge. Usually, the process should not expose you to sharp pains. However, there should be some discomfort involved during the process of preparing your mouth for the bridge.

The steps you should expect from the treatment for placing a dental bridge are:

• Local anesthesia – this is to numb your mouth to minimize discomfort, having that your tooth loss may still be fresh and uncomfortable.
• Preparation – this step involves trimming the adjacent teeth. Depending on the type of oral bridge you are receiving, the preparation will be for a single adjacent tooth or two of them. This step helps create room for the dental crowns that are featured on the bridge.
• Dental impressions – the impressions of your mouth will be fabricated using dental putty. This will help in designing dental crowns and a suitable artificial tooth for your dental bridge. Afterward, temporary dental crowns will be placed on your adjacent teeth, until your bridge is ready for placement.
• Installation – special dental cement is used to bond the dental crowns to the adjacent teeth, therefore securing the dental bridge.

Notable Facts About Dental Bridges

At Montebello Dental Clinic in Salmon Arm, our dental experts work to educate all our patients on important facts associated with dental bridges. Some of the things you must note about oral bridges include the following:

• A typical oral bridge has two dental crowns – two dental crowns are necessary for supporting the replacement artificial tooth. This comes together to form a traditional dental bridge, which is the most common type of bridge in dentistry.
• The artificial replacement tooth is called a pontic. It is usually supported by Dental crowns on each side or a single crown. In unique cases, a pontic can be supported by a metal framework.
• Front teeth dental bridges are different from back teeth dental bridges – this may not be so obvious to you, but it is a fact. In dentistry, the devices you use to restore the front teeth are often different from those used for the back teeth. Back teeth require sturdiness to withstand heavy and frequent chewing. For the front teeth, Aesthetics are more important. In that case, dental bridges used for front teeth are often Maryland bonded bridges. This means they do not use two dental crowns but rather are supported by metal frameworks that attach to the back surfaces of teeth.
• Implants are needed for multiple teeth replacement – initially, dental bridges in Salmon Arm were used for single-tooth restoration. However, advances in the dental world have allowed creativity in tooth replacement. This means that bridges can replace multiple teeth in a row if implants are installed to offer the support that a natural tooth would otherwise provide.