What is a Dental Bridge?
A Dental Bridge is a fixed dental restoration used to replace a missing tooth (or several missing teeth) by permanently joining an artificial tooth or teeth to adjacent teeth or dental implants. The bridge itself consists of an artificial tooth between two crowns that are attached to the adjacent teeth.Types of bridges vary depending upon how they are created and the way that they attach to the adjacent teeth.
GUM DISEASE IS THE GLOBAL LEADING CAUSE OF TOOTH LOSS
THE BRIDGE CREATES A COSMETICALLY PLEASING RESULT
How are bridges made?
- A bridge is created by reducing the teeth on either side of the gap by a preparation pattern determined by the location of the teeth and by the material from which the bridge is to be fabricated. In other words, the teeth either side of the missing tooth are reduced in size to allow crowns to be fitted on them. The artificial tooth, which replaces the missing tooth, is fixed to these crowns.
- Conventionally, bridges are made by a dental technician outside of the mouth using impressions made by the dentist. These are then fitted in the mouth by the dentist who will do final adjustments.
- The materials used for the bridge include gold, metal alloy, zirconia and porcelain or a combination of these. The amount and type of reduction done to the abutment teeth varies slightly with different materials.
- The recipient of such a bridge must be careful to clean well under it and will be given the necessary tools to do so. Assuming that the patient is diligent about keeping their bridge clean, it should last for over 10 years.
Who needs to have a Dental Bridge?
A HIGHLY COSMETIC FITTED BRIDGE IN THE MOUTH
THE SAME BRIDGE FROM BEHIND
A bridge is a cosmetic treatment which is used to replace a missing tooth or teeth. Therefore, if you have a missing tooth or teeth, then you may well benefit from having a bridge fitted.
What happens when I have a Bridge at 92 Dental?
As with any cosmetic treatment, we will have an initial consultation to determine whether having a dental bridge is the optimal way of replacing your missing tooth. Increasingly we prefer to replace teeth with dental implants. In some instances, however, we would recommend dental bridges.
- Once a dentist has seen your teeth and determined that you should have dental bridges, it usually takes two visits to make and fit the bridge. The first of these procedures involves reshaping the two teeth that are either side of the missing tooth so that the bridge can be attached to it. Local anaesthetic is often given during the reshaping of the teeth.
- We also take impressions of your teeth, and fit you with a temporary bridge during this first visit. This temporary bridge maintains the look and function of your teeth while the dental technician makes the bridge.
- This first visit usually takes between 45 and 120 minutes.
- We use the innovative Medit i700 scanner to take digital scans of teeth and gums, rather than the traditional impression moulds. This digital process is quick and efficient, and eliminates the need to use plastic, rubber and plaster and saves on waste within our dental practice. As well as being a sustainable solution, using the Medit i700 also makes the process much more comfortable for our patients. Currently we use the Medit i700 for creating crowns, bridges and whitening trays.
- We generally allow one to two weeks for the technician to create the bridge. The temporary bridge can function in the mouth for a lot longer than this, which means that the permanent bridge can be fitted at a time that is convenient for you.
- The second visit involves the dentist fitting the permanent bridge. The dentist will first place the bridge in your mouth and allow you to examine how the bridge looks and feels. Any necessary adjustments will be made to ensure that the bridge is both cosmetically pleasing and does not interfere with your bite.
- Once you are happy with the dental bridge, we attach it to your teeth using specialised dental cement.
