What Goes Into a Dental Bridge Placement?

It helps to understand what a dental bridge is in order to get an idea of what kind of engineering has to go into it and how it has to be manufactured and placed properly. Often, by understanding a procedure better, a patient is more comfortable with it because they understand all of the steps and why whatever is being done has a particular purpose. Dentists work with dental laboratories like Dreamworks Dental Laboratory to provide them with the best materials to do a good job with any dental bridge procedure.

What is a Dental Bridge?

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When there is a gap between teeth, usually due to an extraction of another tooth, two crowns are placed on the teeth on each side of the space in between. This is done to reinforce the teeth so they act like anchors for the artificial tooth which will thus be braced in between. This is how it got the term “bridge” because it is literally a method of bridging a dental gap. Like all other false teeth, including implants, the artificial tooth may be made of various materials including porcelain, alloys, gold, and other combinations of materials. Dental bridges only work if there are supporting teeth or implants surrounding so the artificial tooth can be anchored.

Simple Benefits

Since dental bridges are not usually as expensive as getting implants, this is sometimes a better option if the budget is limited. However, do look into different offers for implants because they are considered to be far superior to bridge work. The good benefits of having bridge work done is first the restoration of your smile and ability to fully enjoy eating again. Also, since the bones of the face when you have a missing tooth, the bridge will help maintain a proper facial bone structure. Finally, and most importantly, the bridge work holds other teeth in place so they do not drift and impact the gums, which is horribly painful.

Different Types of Dental Bridges

The most commonly placed type of dental bridge is the kind with two crowns built and affixed to the teeth adjacent to the gap. This is usually porcelain for the fake tooth and is bonded to the anchoring teeth by metal or other methods. There used to be something called “Cantilever bridges” and they were used if there was only a single tooth to anchor to. That method did not turn out so well. Now there is the Maryland bridge which is sometimes called resin-bonded. These are porcelain bridges bonded to teeth made of either metal or plastic with the gums being supported by a framework. This method is actually bonded by the porcelain to permanent teeth and is considered the most advanced method.

The Steps

There are usually three visits involved to get bridge work done. This is after any tooth extraction, of course. On the first visit, the adjacent teeth to support the bridge are prepared by recon touring and preparing them for crowns. A temporary bridge is usually place while you wait for the crowns to be made. On the second visit, the bridge is tested and adjusted to fit.