With the new technology available today, dental bridges can be a beautiful way to replace missing teeth.
If you’ve lost a tooth, there are essentially three solutions. In some cases, a dental implant is the best solution. Read more about dental implants. Another alternative is a partial denture or dental flipper. While this is the least expensive solution, it is also the least comfortable, durable, and aesthetic.
A dental bridge is one of the most common solutions to a missing tooth/teeth. In the hands of a skilled dentist like Dr. Perry, a dental bridge can look and feel like a natural part of your mouth.
Dental Bridges Basics
A dental bridge is a series of crowns that replaces one to three adjacent missing teeth. As depicted in the top diagram to the right, the teeth on either side of the missing tooth are prepared. The bridge consists of two crowns and a false tooth. The crowns anchor the bridge to the teeth adjacent to the gap where the tooth used to be.
Disadvantages
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If the teeth on either side of the missing tooth are healthy and intact, placing crowns on otherwise healthy teeth is not always preferable. In such cases, a dental implant might be the preferred course of treatment.
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If the missing tooth is in the very back of the mouth, it might be difficult creating a stable bridge with only one tooth to anchor it. In this instance, again, a dental implant might be the better choice.