Dental Bridges: The Benefits, Types, and Procedure

There are many reasons people lose teeth. These include tooth decay, disease, and accidental damage. When you lose teeth, you’ll want to replace them. One popular option for restoring your smile is to have dental bridges placed. 

Dental bridges are lifelike prosthetics that span the gaps in your smile left by missing teeth. A bridge can replace one or more teeth. Your replacement teeth are supported using the neighbouring natural teeth. 

As with any procedure, it’s important to gain a good understanding of what you can expect when getting your dental bridge placed. As there are a few different options available, knowing the benefits of each will help you make an informed decision about your new smile. 

In this guide, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about dental bridges, including the different types, the main benefits, and how they’re placed. 

The Types of Dental Bridges

At Love Teeth, we place three different types of bridges. The options available to you may depend on the condition of your nearby natural teeth. 

Traditional Bridges

When people talk about dental bridges, this is usually the type that comes to mind. A traditional bridge consists of a pontic — a natural-looking replacement tooth. If you’ve lost more than one tooth, you can have additional pontics joined together. 

This is held in place on either side by crowns. These crowns are fixed to your natural teeth. 

This type of dental bridge is usually made from porcelain or ceramics and may have metal fused into it for extra support and rigidity. 

Cantilever Bridges

We can’t always rely on the fact that there’s a healthy tooth on either side of your gap. Where there is a healthy tooth on just one side, we’ll place a cantilever bridge. 

In many ways, a cantilever bridge is similar to a traditional bridge; however, it’s only supported on one side. 

Maryland Bonded Bridges

A Maryland-bonded bridge is also known as a resin-bonded bridge. This type of bridge includes a pontic attached to the neighbouring teeth using metal or porcelain wings. The bridge may be made using a combination of resin, porcelain, metal, and plastic. 

The Benefits of Dental Bridges

Dental bridges are an excellent option for replacing missing teeth. Here are the advantages:

A Great-Looking Smile

When you lose teeth, it’s easy to feel ashamed or embarrassed about your smile. You might not want to show off your gappy teeth, and you may avoid smiling. This can make you self-conscious, and it may harm your confidence. 

Your dental bridge will look completely natural. Once in place, nobody will know that these replacement teeth aren’t real. We’ll even colour-match the bridge’s surface to your natural teeth for a seamless smile. 

Each dental bridge we place is made-to-measure, meaning you get custom teeth that contribute to the perfect smile. 

Biting and Chewing

When you lose teeth, eating becomes a challenge. The gap will mean that you carefully avoid the food you’ll have trouble chewing or you rely on other parts of your mouth to do all of the work at mealtimes. 

A dental bridge restores the function of your teeth, and you can enjoy a full diet again, safe in the knowledge that you can chew whatever you like. 

Speech and Pronunciation

Although often overlooked, our teeth play an essential role in our speech. When you lose teeth, pronouncing certain words becomes difficult. By fully restoring your teeth using a dental bridge, you can correct any speech problems you may have developed. 

Fight Tooth Decay and Gum Disease

The gaps where a tooth once stood can quickly become home to bacteria. Because these spaces are difficult to clean, the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease can build up in these areas. 

Filling the gap with a dental bridge will help eliminate some of the risks. Of course, dental hygiene is always essential, even when some of your teeth aren’t real. 

Facial Structure Support

Missing teeth can affect the structure of your face. When teeth are missing, your lips and the skin around your mouth can start to sag. This can lead to an aged appearance. 

Having a dental bridge placed will ensure your facial structure is maintained. 

Prevent Dental Drift

When you lose a tooth, your nearby teeth can start to drift into the gap slowly. This is called mesial shift or dental drift. When this happens, gaps form elsewhere along the arch, and your teeth may even twist as they move. 

We can stop this unwanted movement in its tracks by filling the gap with a sturdy dental bridge. 

The Dental Bridge Procedure

Before placing a dental bridge, we’ll first assess your smile and ensure this is the best option for you. We’ll use the latest technology to get images of your teeth to determine whether this is the right treatment and to plan the procedure. 

Because each bridge is custom-made, there’s a gap between your first appointment and the actual placement procedure. Initially, we’ll fit a temporary bridge until your permanent replacement is ready. Although you’ll only have it for a short period of time, your temporary bridge will look and feel fantastic.

When fitting your bridge, we may need to adjust the supporting teeth on either side of the pontic. This ensures that they can accommodate the crowns that will bind to the pontic. We may need to remove a small portion of each tooth. 

Once placed, the dental bridge will remain in position. With the proper care and attention, a good dental hygiene routine, and regular checkups, you can expect your new bridge to last for many years to come. 

Dental Bridges at Love Teeth

At Love Teeth, we’ve got clinics throughout Surrey. Our team of highly-skilled and experienced dentists are here to provide you with advice and support ahead of your dental bridge procedure. 

Call our friendly team today to arrange a consultation and learn whether dental bridges are the right choice for you.