Dental Bridges

A bridge is a series of crowns which are welded together to replace missing teeth. Dental bridges literally bridge the gap created by one or more missing teeth. A bridge is made up of two crowns for the teeth on either side of the gap with a false tooth/teeth in-between.

The Benefits of Dental Bridges are that they:

• Restore your smile.
• Restore your ability to properly chew and speak.
• Maintain the shape of your face, help to keep wrinkles away.
  
• Distribute the forces in your bite properly by replacing missing teeth.
• Prevent remaining teeth from drifting out of position.
• Are fixed in the mouth (to teeth or implants), and cannot be removed by the patient.

During the first visit, the teeth are prepared. Preparation involves re-contouring these teeth by removing a portion of enamel to allow room for a crown to be placed over them. Using 3Shape TRIOS technology, we will create 3D digital scans of the teeth that require the bridge. The 3D digital scans are then sent to the TRIOS lab via email where the bridge will be created. The new restoration will be fabricated and fitted in 48 hours. We will usually make a temporary bridge for you to wear to protect the exposed teeth and gums while your bridge is being made.

During the second visit, your temporary bridge will be removed and the new permanent bridge will be checked and adjusted, as necessary, to achieve a proper fit.

The major concerns of not replacing missing teeth depends on their location in the mouth and their biological function.

If front teeth are not replaced, there is a loss of aesthetics and speech.
If back teeth are not replaced, you will tend to chew on the other side and create more forces there. You are more likely to over use and damage these remaining teeth. The other issue is that back teeth will slightly tip into the space of the missing tooth. This creates food impaction, soreness and infects the gum. These tipped teeth are difficult to clean, which causes decay.