The concept of dental bridges, as well as their use in restoring smiles with missing teeth, has endured for much of dentistry’s history. Like dentures, bridges are highly-effective at helping you regain the ability to bite and chew after losing teeth. Unlike dentures, however, you don’t have to lose a significant amount of teeth before rebuilding your smile with a dental bridge. If you’ve lost a tooth, or two or three teeth in a consecutive row, then we can custom-design a durable, lifelike bridge to restore your confidence and reestablish your bite’s integrity.
The Need for Dental Bridges
A dental bridge is technically a dental prosthesis designed to replace teeth that are lost, or that must be extracted. It consists of an appropriate number of pontics, or replacement teeth, supported by dental crowns that are attached to the teeth bordering the gap in your smile. By replacing one or more lost teeth with a bridge, you can once again enjoy the full function of your bite, as well as the rebuilt confidence of a complete, healthy, and beautiful smile.
Common Drawbacks of Dental Bridges
While a dental bridge can restore the teeth that you’ve lost, affixing the bridge in place requires modifying the healthy teeth that are still there. Known as abutment teeth, those that are on either side of the gap in your smile must be sculpted to accommodate the crowns on either side of the bridge. This can leave your abutment teeth more susceptible to damage and decay, and over time, the support can become loose and your bridge can shift out of place.
A Sturdier Alternative
Since support is the main drawback of modern dental bridges, we often recommend supporting them on one or more dental implants. The small titanium posts act as replacements for your teeth’s roots. After being surgically inserted into the jawbone, the titanium implant posts can be used to uphold and stabilize a dental bridge, or other dental prosthetic, with the same durability as your natural teeth roots.
ABOUT YOUR SHREWSBURY DENTISTS:
At Modern Dentistry, Todd A. Pizzi, DDS, and Luciana Messina, DDS, are dedicated to providing high-quality cosmetic, restorative, and preventive dentistry services to patients and families in Shrewsbury, Worcester, North and South Grafton, Westborough, Southborough, Northborough, Boylston, Hopkinton, Millbury, and all surrounding communities. To schedule your next appointment, contact our office by calling (508) 842-6356 today.
