Dental Bridges

Have you lost a tooth? Are you looking for an attractive replacement tooth that will work just like a natural tooth? A dental bridge is one tooth replacement option that can work like a natural tooth, looks attractive, and doesn’t require surgery. Dental bridges aren’t always a good option, but in some cases, they might be a better choice than dental implants.

If you have lost a tooth and want to know your replacement options, including dental bridges in Augustine, please call 904-664-5254 today for an appointment with cosmetic dentist Dr. Stephanie Kinsey at Palencia Dental.

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Benefits of a Dental Bridge

A Dental bridge are a good tooth replacement option. With them, you get:

Fully fixed tooth replacement
Normal chewing strength
Attractive replacement tooth
Tooth replacement without surgery
A short recovery period
Long-lasting tooth replacement

A dental bridge is not removable like a partial denture. It’s permanently bonded to your natural teeth, which support it. Because your bridge is fixed, it lets you bite and chew normally. You don’t have to change your diet with a dental bridge.

Dental bridges are also very attractive. They can look just like natural teeth, with precise matching of the color and luster of your natural teeth. There are no visible wires or connections between the replacement and supporting teeth.

A dental bridge lets you replace your teeth without getting surgery. Instead of implanting something in your jaw, you just have to get crowns placed over your natural teeth. Because there’s no surgery, you don’t have a long recovery period. Most people return to work right away and feel back to normal within a couple of days of receiving their permanent bridge.

Dental bridges are long-lasting tooth replacements, about 10-15 years. This isn’t nearly as long as dental implants, of course, but it’s much longer than dentures.

How a Dental Bridge Works

A dental bridge is a tooth replacement that uses your natural teeth as supports for a replacement tooth that bridges the gap in your smile. Typically, the modern dental bridge is made of three fused units: two dental crowns and one replacement tooth.

The crowns slip over your natural teeth, and they support the replacement tooth. It’s possible to make dental bridges with more replacement teeth and more supports, but that is done less often now that we have dental implants (more on this later).

Limitations of Dental Bridges

While dental bridges are good tooth replacements, they do have limitations. Here are some of the more important ones:

Put stress on supporting teeth
Only usable in limited situations
Require modification of natural teeth
Don’t stimulate jawbone or gums

Because they can make your teeth support additional pressure, they can stress your natural teeth, and potentially lead to early failure of the supporting teeth. That’s why we only use them in limited situations–those where your teeth can handle the additional stress. And though in the past we sometimes used dental bridges supported on only one side (called cantilever bridges), these days we try to place bridges only where they get support on both ends.

Dental bridges require us to modify neighboring teeth to fit the dental crowns on them. Whenever we remove natural tooth material, we might be shortening the lifespan of the tooth, so this is a consideration.

Finally, dental bridges don’t have roots on the replacement teeth. This means that they don’t stimulate the jawbone or support the gums under the replacement tooth. Over time, your body will naturally remove jawbone from this area, which, over time, can lead to an unattractive gap under the bridge.

These limitations mean that in many situations, a dental implant is just a better choice for tooth replacement.

Dental Bridges in St. Augustine

Are you looking for a tooth replacement in St. Augustine? If so, we can help you consider your options, including dental bridges, and choose the best tooth replacement for you. Please call 904-664-5254 today for an appointment with cosmetic dentist Dr. Stephanie Kinsey at Palencia Dental.