When you have missing teeth, this could impact how you eat, limit your meal options, and even increase the risk of misalignment. When you have minor cases of missing teeth, such as three to four lost teeth in a row, then we can help with a dental bridge. In today’s blog, your Fort Bliss, TX, dentist talks about how we create custom bridges.
The Impact of Missing Teeth
A dental bridge is meant to address more minor cases of tooth loss, but even minor tooth loss could create serious problems for your quality of life. When you lose a tooth, this leaves behind a gap that could allow nearby teeth to drift from position to create misalignment, itself a factor that increases the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Missing teeth could also upset bite balance and strain your jaw joints, so the risk of TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding) is much higher too. You could have trouble eating your favorite foods or speaking clearly too. But by addressing the gap with a dental prosthetic, we can offer a healthy, functional, and attractive smile again!
Creating Your Dental Prosthetic
To ensure a proper fit and balanced bite, we will custom-make your dental bridge. To begin, we will numb the teeth on each side of the gap, known as the abutment teeth. We then remove structure from them to make room for the crown portions of the bridge. Next, we will take detailed digital images and measurements of the gaps and the prepared teeth. In a dental lab, we use this information to design and fabricate your prosthetic. This will contain new teeth, known as pontics, with crowns attached to one or both ends. We create them from ceramic because the material can handle daily bite forces and pressures, but can also be color matched to blend with your smile too.
Securing Dental Bridges
When your dental prosthetic is complete, we will check the fit and make any necessary adjustments. Our team will then place the crown portions onto the prepared abutment teeth, which secures your new teeth firmly in place. You then brush and floss the new teeth as you would natural ones, and clean the spaces between the tip of the gums and the bottom of the prosthetic. If you have any questions about how we handle minor tooth loss and restore your smile, then contact our team today to learn more and get started. We want to help you enjoy a full smile again!
SCHEDULE YOUR VISIT FOR A DENTAL PROSTHETIC
You can call Fort Bliss Family Dentistry in Texas at 915-895-3678. to book treatment and receive a lifelike and durable dental prosthetic, so you can smile with confidence.
