Dental Bridge Candidates
If you have missing teeth, you may be wondering which treatment options are available to you. At Bell Dental, Dr. Brian Bell and Dr. Justin Crocker offer the full range of restorative dentistry treatments to replace missing teeth. If you are missing a single tooth or multiple teeth in one area of the mouth, you may be a good candidate for a dental bridge. A dental bridge is a prosthetic that fills in the gap left by missing teeth. To find out if you are a good candidate for a dental bridge, contact our Lake Jackson, TX practice today.
Patients Missing a Single Tooth
A traditional dental bridge is the most cost-effective and quick way to treat a single missing tooth. To hold the bridge in place, we will prepare the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth for crown placement. This involves the removal of some of the tooth’s perimeter so the crown can fit over the tooth. When the crowns are placed over the teeth on each end of the gap, the bridge will fill in the space left by the missing tooth.
At Bell Dental, we use CEREC technology to craft crowns and bridges in our office during your treatment appointment. This eliminates the need for an additional dental appointment to place the crowns and bridge one to two weeks after your initial treatment appointment.
With CEREC technology, we take digital impressions of the treatment area after we have prepared the teeth for the crowns. Then, the computerized milling system will take these digital impressions into account when fabricating the crowns and bridge. In less than an hour, we can secure the crowns and bridge in place, completing your treatment and restoring your smile.
Patients Missing Multiple Teeth in One Area of the Mouth
If you are missing more than one tooth, but the missing teeth are located in the same area of the mouth, a dental bridge can be used to fill in the spaces left by missing teeth. In most cases, the bridge is used to replace two or three consecutive missing teeth.
This treatment involves a process similar to that for single tooth replacement with a bridge. We will prepare the adjacent teeth for the placement of crowns, and CEREC technology will craft the crowns and bridge. The different is that the bridge will have more than one prosthetic tooth. When the crowns and bridge are fabricated, the crowns will be cemented onto the surrounding teeth, and the bridge will fill in the gap.
Implant-supported Bridges
At Bell Dental, we also offer implant-supported bridges. This treatment differs from traditional bridges in that the bridge prosthetic is attached to dental implants instead of adjacent teeth. This approach offers many benefits to patients:
- The bridge restoration is more stable
- The implants stimulate the jawbone, so bone loss does not occur
- Surrounding healthy teeth do not have to be modified to accommodate the dental crowns
The downside of an implant-supported dental bridge is that it does require a surgical procedure and healing period.
To find out if you are a good candidate for a traditional or implant-supported dental bridge, contact Bell Dental today.
