When you lose a tooth, this could mean a gap in your smile that not only causes embarrassment, but could lead to issues with the health and function of your smile. If you’re ready to replace your missing teeth, we can help! In today’s blog, your Astoria, NY, dentist talks about securing a custom fixed dental bridge.
The Complications of a Single Missing Tooth
When you lose even one tooth, this could mean trouble for your oral health. Along with embarrassment at the gap in your smile, surrounding teeth could move from position due to this gap, causing dental misalignment. Poor alignment then leads to an increased risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Changes to your bite balance could also mean the onset of complications like TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding). Since the body suspends the flow of calcium and phosphates to the jaw around the missing root, this could cause a break down in the jawbone that leads to further tooth loss with time. For others, there could even be complications with eating or speaking clearly. Which is why even minor tooth loss should be addressed with a prosthetic.
Creating Your Dental Bridge
A dental bridge addresses a single missing tooth, or up to three in a row. To create one, we will first numb the teeth on each side of the gap, known as abutment teeth, and remove structure from them. We take detailed digital images of the prepared teeth. In a dental lab, we will then design and craft the finished product, which consists of new teeth with crowns attached to each end. The bridge is often crafted from ceramic, which can absorb daily bite forces with ease and can also be shaded to blend with your smile seamlessly.
Options for Securing Your Prosthetic
When the bridge is ready, we will typically attach the crowns to the abutment teeth, anchoring your new ones in place. This option is fixed in place and doesn’t need to be removed for cleaning or soaking. However, you will still need to brush and floss around it, and clean the spaces between the top of the gums and the bottom of the prosthetic to protect the teeth securing your new bridge from tooth decay, infection, or periodontal disease.
We could also secure them with dental implants, which means no need to remove structure from a tooth, as one to two free standing implants could support your bridge firmly in place.
Do You Have Questions About Tooth Replacement?
Our team wants to help you smile with confidence once again! If you would like to learn more about treating your missing teeth, then schedule a consultation by calling Jeffrey Leibowitz, DDS, in Astoria, NY, today at 718-728-8320.
