According to the American Academy of Prosthodontists, an estimated 140 million people are missing at least one tooth. If you find yourself with one or several consecutive gaps in your smile, know that our team at Coco Dental offers high-quality tooth replacement solutions known as dental bridges in North Dallas that can help you. Whether you’re having difficulty chewing your food or speaking, our restorations can help you not only regain the complete function of your full set of teeth, but they’re also aesthetically beautiful, seamlessly integrating with your natural existing teeth. To learn more about dental bridges and whether you’d be a good candidate for this procedure, we invite you to schedule a consultation with your dentist in North Dallas today.
A dental bridge is a prosthetic that’s custom-crafted from natural-looking dental materials, like ceramic and porcelain. These are color-matched to your tooth enamel, so once they’re placed, onlookers won’t be able to tell that you have a restoration. The prosthetic itself is comprised of two dental crowns located on either side of free-standing replacement teeth, called pontics. The crowns are anchored to your existing teeth on either side of the gap, allowing the pontics to fill the space in your smile.
During your initial consultation with Dr. Patel, our team will examine your mouth, learn about any specific smile goals you’d like to meet, and ask you about your medical and oral health history. Based on our discussion, we’ll walk you through each of your treatment options.
To replace one or more missing teeth in North Dallas that are next to each other, we can utilize a traditional dental bridge that’s anchored to your mouth with crowns. This will require the alteration of your natural, healthy teeth to replace the missing ones.
As an alternative, we also offer implant bridges, which are secured to your mouth using two dental implants instead of dental crowns. The implants are placed on either side of the gap in the smile, and after they’ve fused with the jawbone, we’ll be able to attach the dental bridge to the implants to replace two or more missing teeth. This treatment requires no alteration of your existing teeth.
When you replace consecutive missing teeth, you’re able to enjoy a wide array of benefits, including:
If you’d like to learn more about dental bridges, don’t hesitate to call our office today!
No, and we don’t recommend making the attempt! Your dental bridge is designed, for all intents and purposes, to be a long-lasting fixture in your mouth. This provides patients a stable, reliable restoration that’s easy to maintain and feels more like natural teeth. If you believe your dental bridge might need repaired or replaced, it’s better to contact our office so we can remove it safely with our professional tools.
We craft our dental bridges from tooth-colored ceramic and porcelain materials. Though they’re very similar, these two substances are technically different.
Porcelain is made with a denser clay and is fired in the kiln for a longer period than ceramic, making it generally more durable. While both our porcelain and ceramic bridges can be made to match the color of your remaining teeth, some patients prefer the aesthetics of our ceramic bridges. When you schedule your consultation, we can go more in-depth about the materials we use and which one might be better suited for your smile.
Before preparing your teeth to receive this restoration, we’ll numb the area with an effective anesthetic. As a result, most patients experience minimal discomfort during their dental bridge treatment. After you return home and the anesthetic wears off, however, you’re likely to feel some tender teeth. Over the counter pain medication is usually enough to alleviate these aches, but if your pain gets worse or lasts for several days, be sure to let us know as soon as possible.
It depends on what your bridge is made out of and how well you take care of it, but generally speaking, you can expect your restoration to last for up to 15 years.
Proper maintenance is not only important for preserving the look of your dental bridge, but also saving you money in the long run! To help your bridge stand the test of time, we recommend:
If you’d like more tips on maintaining your dental bridge, you know who to call! We’d be happy to give you personalized recommendations.