What Is the Process of Dental Bridges?
Dental bridges in Richmond Hill, ON help, replace missing teeth with artificial teeth. Bridges are attached to the teeth on either side of the edentulous gap. Porcelain or metal, a combination of the two, or zirconia help make dental bridges. You can have fixed Bridges if you desire or consider them an alternative to dentures if you want a removable option.
Why Might You Need Dental Bridges?
You will need dental bridges if you have a missing tooth or teeth with healthy teeth on both sides of the gap left by the missing tooth. The dental bridge is fixed to dental crowns mounted on the neighboring healthy teeth to function as anchors or abutments holding the dental bridge between them. The artificial teeth held by the abutments are called pontic.
You become a candidate for tooth Bridges if you want to avoid the consequences of tooth loss which begin affecting you soon after you lose one or several teeth. The effects include drifting off your neighboring teeth towards the empty void left by the missing tooth to create a misalignment in your mouth. Your teeth in the opposite jaw can also move upwards or downwards towards the open hole, trying to close the gap between your teeth.
Your mouth starts experiencing jawbone deterioration at 25 percent yearly to make you appear older by giving you a sagging appearance. In addition, the challenges of biting and chewing foods make you a victim of indigestion, necessitating treatment from different medical professionals to maintain your general health. Most importantly, the edentulous sockets in your mouth become breeding grounds for food particles and bacteria to remain trapped and create infections like tooth decay and gum disease. Instead of enduring the above challenges, you find it beneficial to close the gap between your teeth by seeking dental bridges in Richmond Hill, ON, to help replace your missing teeth.
The Dental Bridge Process
When you visit the Richmond Hill provider, they will initially examine your mouth to check for signs of tooth decay and gum disease and suggest treatments for the condition if they affect you. They also take x-rays of your teeth and mouth to take measurements to customize your dental bridges.
The process for dental bridges starts with the dentist filing down the two healthy teeth neighboring the missing tooth gap. The filing accommodates dental crowns holding your dental bridge on the neighboring teeth. The process is uncomfortable, but the dentist in Richmond Hill, ON ensures they provide local anesthesia and offer comfort during the procedure.
After reshaping the neighboring teeth, the dentist impressions them and makes a mold for your customized dental bridge fabricated from a dental laboratory. You receive a temporary acrylic bridge over the reshaped teeth until the dental laboratory returns your customized bridges after approximately three weeks.
You can revisit the Richmond Hill provider three weeks later to have your customized bridges placed over the reshaped teeth. During your second appointment, the dentist removes the temporary acrylic bridges and attaches the permanent restoration to the reshaped teeth using dental cement for placement. Alternatively, if you have chosen implant-supported bridges that require dental implants to be surgically placed in your jawbone, the dentist anchors the dental bridge to the implant. However, your eligibility for implant-supported bridges is ascertained during your initial exams and requires considerable upfront expenditure if you desire a permanent solution for your missing teeth.
Caring for Your Replacement Teeth with Bridges
Caring for your dental bridges is not challenging. It is comfortably accomplished by brushing your teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, flossing once at any time of the day, and getting six monthly dental exams and cleanings. However, it would help if you remained cautious around the dental crowns on the neighboring healthy teeth and the dental bridge to ensure you don’t allow dental plaque to accumulate around them and cause periodontal disease besides cavities. In addition, you must remember the neighboring teeth under the dental crowns are natural and susceptible to tooth decay and other dental infections that can compromise the stability of the dental bridge. However, if you maintain the dental bridge as recommended, you can expect to have the restoration in your mouth for 15 years or more without confronting problems.
If confronting challenges with one or more missing teeth, Richmond Dental Care provides natural-looking and functioning artificial teeth with dental bridges. Consult the practice today to replace your missing teeth in a couple of appointments with the dentist in Richmond Hill.