Losing a tooth, whether through oral disease or a mere accident, can be an embarrassing situation. More important, though, the loss of a tooth can have consequences on your ability to bite, chew, and speak normally.
Among the manifold ways to all but replace a lost tooth is a dental bridge, which, true to its name, is a false tooth that serves as an indistinguishable and functional connection between the teeth remaining on either end of the newly vacated stretch of gum.
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If you are interested in dental bridges, read on to find out more about the various options that can help to restore your mouth to full health.
Who Is a Good Candidate for a Bridge?
A dental bridge can be used in the mouth as long as the adjacent teeth are strong enough to support the dental bridge. If the adjacent teeth are weak, fractured, or otherwise unable to provide support to a bridge, a dental implant is the state-of-the-art option to replace a single missing tooth, as it does not involve the adjacent teeth.
How Long Do Dental Bridges Last?
Fixed Dental Bridges
A fixed dental bridge is a bridge that is placed by reducing the adjacent teeth, taking an impression, making a metal framework, and then firing porcelain to the surface to make the porcelain tooth-colored. The dental bridge is then cemented in the mouth and cannot be removed by the patient.
Cantilever Dental Bridges
The difference between a regular fixed bridge and a cantilever bridge is that a cantilever bridge is only attached to one abutment tooth. These bridges are only used in certain limited situations where there cannot be too much stress on the pontic (the false tooth).
Resin-Bonded Bridges
The benefit of a resin-bonded bridge is that the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth are not reduced to pegs; there is typically minimal or no reduction necessary. The difference between a resin-bonded and a fixed bridge thus lies in the support of the adjacent teeth.
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I didn’t know that dental bridges can be used in the mouth as long as the adjacent teeth are strong enough to support the dental bridge. My mom lost a tooth last weekend when we went swimming. My dad suggested having dental bridges and shared this article with her. It says that the dental bridge is then cemented in the mouth and cannot be removed by the patient.