Dental Bridges
When you have a tooth or teeth missing, it can cause you to feel quite self-conscious about your smile, but did you know that it can also potentially lead to more serious issues, such as putting the rest of your teeth out of alignment or causing the surrounding teeth to decay or develop periodontal disease. So, before you give up all hope or, worse still, develop further problems due to your missing tooth, why not let David M. Skopp, DDS eliminate the gaps and restore your smile with a dental bridge.
What is a dental bridge?
A dental bridge does exactly what you’d expect, filling in the gap caused by a missing tooth or teeth. Typically, the bridge is made up of a dental crown on each side of the gap and a false tooth in between, attached on each side to the crown.
Depending on the health of the teeth on each side of the gap, Dr. Skopp may either crown your natural teeth or use dental implants. Once the anchor teeth have been crowned, the false tooth or pontic is then fixed to the anchor or abutment teeth. Although porcelain is most commonly used, bridges can also be made of gold and other metal alloys as well.
Benefits of Dental Bridges
There are a number of different benefits to having a dental bridge installed, including-
Restoring your self-confidence in your smile
Prevent the remaining teeth from shifting or moving out of alignment
Prevent the remaining teeth from becoming further damaged or decaying
Allow you to speak and eat properly and without pain or discomfort
Maintain the correct shape of your jaw and face
Types of Dental Bridges Available From Dr. Skopp
When you visit our office in Palm Beach Gardens, the first step will be for Dr. Skopp to determine which type of bridge is best for you. Generally speaking, there are three distinct types of bridges that may be used.
Traditional or Fixed Bridges.
These are the most basic and common type of bridge, consisting of two crowns and a false, filler tooth that is attached to the crowns. With a fixed bridge, the crowns are usually made of porcelain, which is fused to the metal or ceramic false tooth.
Cantilever Bridges
This type of bridge is used when there are only teeth on one side of the gap.
Maryland or Resin-Bonded Bridges
These are typically used for larger gaps or missing front teeth and consist of plastic or porcelain that is fused to metal teeth and then bonded to existing teeth with small metal wings.
How Dr. Skopp Creates a Dental Bridge
When you choose Dr. Skopp for your dental bridge work, the first step will be an initial consultation to determine the best type of bridge. From there, you will then be scheduled for the first appointment, where Dr. Skopp and his expert staff will prepare the abutment teeth for the crowns by reshaping them and removing some of the enamel so that the crown fits snugly over the top.
Then we will take an impression of your teeth which will be used as a model for making the permanent bridge, crowns and false teeth. After making the impression, Dr. Skopp will then fit you with a temporary bridge to protect your abutment teeth until the dental laboratory has finished making your bridge.
Once the permanent bridge is finished, you will then come in for a second appointment, where Dr. Skopp will remove the temporary bridge and replace it with the permanent one. He will then check and adjust the bridge so that it fits properly and you can bite and chew as normal. Still, in some cases you may need to come back into the office periodically to have the bridge readjusted until it fits perfectly. Finally, after taking a few weeks to make sure everything is fitting properly, Dr. Skopp will permanently cement the bridge into place.
Caring For Your Dental Bridge
With good oral hygiene and proper care, your new bridge should be able to last for up to ten years or more and will surely be well worth the time and cost, as it will allow you to restore confidence in your smile. Still, bridges require more care than natural teeth in order to prevent decay, and our expert team will instruct you on exactly how to care for and clean your bridges.
If you’re sick of living with that gap in your teeth, why not give David M. Skopp, DDS a call to find out more about dental bridges or to schedule an appointment.