Dental Bridges: A time tested tooth replacement solution in Thibodaux, LA
Why is it so important to replace missing teeth? Gaps do more than spoil your smile. They allow other teeth to go crooked, increasing risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Missing teeth also have a negative impact on bite, diet, and speech. For many years, dental bridges have been used to correct the problem. At Acadia Family Dentistry in Thibodaux LA, Dr. Palmer brings modern materials and techniques into the process to improve smiles from Thibodaux LA and nearby communities of Houma, Labadieville, Schriever, Raceland and Gray.
What is a bridge?
As you might guess from the name, this dental prosthetic bridges the space between remaining teeth. It consists of an artificial tooth or several in succession, with crowns at each end. Crowns are cemented to prepared teeth or dental implants to stabilize the unit.
Though sometimes called a “removable dental bridge,” a partial denture cannot provide the security and comfort of a fixed bridge.
Dental bridges – a precise process in Thibodaux, LA
- At the first, the treatment area is numbed, and anchor teeth are prepared by reducing and shaping tooth structure to hold crowns.
- Doctor, takes impressions of your mouth, and then uses this information to design the bridge and plan how it will be affixed.
- Instructions go to a dental laboratory where the bridge is fabricated, usually of porcelain.
- Meanwhile, anchor teeth are protected with temporary restorations.
- You return in several weeks to have the interim crowns removed, and the permanent dental bridge cemented in place.
- A zirconia implant bridge may be recommended for upper or lower bridge teeth. Just a few dental implants are placed to hold a full arch of teeth securely.
Got missing teeth? Here’s how you can ‘bridge’ that gap!
A bridge is a non-surgical way to replace one or many teeth. A bridge uses the adjacent teeth as anchors to support the missing tooth or teeth. With today’s dental advancements, a bridge can be fabricated in a fairly short period of time, using a metal or nonmetal foundation. Don’t let that missing tooth affect the way you speak, eat, and smile. Bridges yield immediate results that last a lifetime. Ask your dentist what type of bridge may be right for you.
Replacing missing teeth can improve your dental health and give you more confidence in your smile. Dental implants are the “gold standard” for individual tooth replacement. However, bridges still make good sense for many patients who are not implant candidates or who want to avoid an oral surgery procedure.
Call Acadia Family Dentistry at (985) 303-2920 to learn about options for affordable dental bridge work
All about dental bridges at Acadia Family Dentistry
What are dental bridges?
A tooth-supported bridge is a dental restoration that replaces missing teeth.
It is made of a false tooth attached to crowns, which fits over teeth on both sides of the space.
A tooth-supported bridge is cemented in place and cannot be removed.
What are the different types of dental bridges used?
There are different types of tooth-supported bridges.
There is porcelain, similar to the natural color for the tooth, gold alloy, the strongest and most conservative in its preparation.
We do porcelain fused to an inner core of gold alloy or porcelain fused to metal which combines strengths and aesthetics.
What are the benefits of dental bridges?
Having a dental bridge builds back your smile and helps you speak correctly by restoring your teeth to a natural size and shape.
They help maintain tooth bite and jaw alignment by preventing remaining teeth from shifting out of position.
What are the risks of dental bridges?
In preparation for the bridge, we consume the structure of the anchor teeth, which permanently alters the teeth.
Anchor teeth for bridges may need root canal treatments, about 6% of the time during the lifetime of the tooth.
There are three alternatives for bridges; replacing the missing tooth with an implant, with a removable partial denture, or leaving the space, as it is.
Please feel free to contact us if you need further information.