Fill the Gap in Your Smile with a Bridge
There are several reasons why losing a tooth can have a detrimental effect on the rest of your overall health. For instance, the gap that’s left in your smile can create balancing issues with your bite’s pressure. To make up the difference, your remaining teeth can shift toward the gap, creating a host of other dental health concerns on top of your missing tooth. A custom-designed dental bridge, which is often crafted from lifelike dental porcelain, can stop this effect by replacing the lost tooth and closing the gap in your smile.
How a dental bridge is made
A dental bridge is a fixed prosthesis that is designed to fill the space created by a missing tooth, or by multiple teeth that are adjacent to each other. To accomplish this, a bridge consists of one or more replacement teeth, or pontics, that are crafted to precisely match the size, shape, and appearance of your lost teeth. The bridge is supported by one or a pair of dental crowns that are bonded to the teeth closest to the gap in your smile (abutment teeth), allowing you to bite, chew, and speak comfortably once again.
Supporting your bridge on dental implants
For some patients, we may recommend supporting a dental bridge on one or more dental implants. Instead of relying on crowns attached to abutment teeth, your prosthesis will be held in place by an implanted, root-like anchor. If you’ve only lost one tooth, then a single implant and dental crown may suffice to replace it. If you’ve lost more than one tooth, then we can recommend an appropriate number of implant posts, depending on the size of your bridge. Supporting your bridge on dental implants offers a number of benefits, including:
- The preservation of your remaining teeth
- More lifelike support for your bridge/crown
- Reduced risks of wear on your remaining teeth
- Greater comfort due to improved stability
- And more
Custom-designed tooth replacement
If you’ve lost one or multiple adjacent teeth, then a custom-designed dental bridge could be the best option for closing the gap in your smile. To find out if a dental bridge is your best option, schedule a consultation by calling Pacific Hills Dental in Omaha, NE, today at (402)330-2243.We proudly serve patients who live Omaha, Papillion, Elkhorn, La Vista, and Millard, and all surrounding communities.
