Your Richfield, MN, dentist may recommend a dental bridge when a patient comes to us with minor tooth loss. Otherwise, as little as one lost tooth could mean serious complications for the function, beauty, and overall health of your smile. In today’s blog, we’re looking at how we help preserve smiles with dental bridges.
The Impact of Minor Tooth Loss
What makes a single lost tooth such a danger to your smile? Well, in addition to leaving an exposed gap, this could also cause surrounding teeth to begin drifting from position, leading to misalignment. Not only does misalignment impact smile beauty, but it also increases the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. The gaps in your smile also strain the jaw joints, leading to higher chance of TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding) developing. To avoid these complications, and improve the beauty of your smile, you need to seek replacement for even one missing tooth!
Crafting a Prosthetic
The prosthetic will be custom-made, which means a comfortable fit and a lifelike appearance. We use them to address between one and three teeth in a row, so you enjoy a whole smile again. We start by removing structure from the natural teeth on either side of the gap in your smile. We call these abutment teeth. We then take detailed impressions and images, using them to create the prosthetic. The bridge contains pontics, or new teeth, with crowns attached to each end. When compete, we place the crowns onto the abutment teeth, securing the new ones firmly in place.
Keeping Your New Smile Strong
With proper care and attention, your prosthetic has the chance to last for 10 to 15 years on average. You should take steps to protect the abutment teeth from issues like decay, infection, or gum disease, which could otherwise lead to a compromised prosthetic. You should brush and floss around your prosthetic, and your whole smile, every day. We also suggest cleaning the spaces between the top of your gums and the bottom of your prosthetic. If you have any questions about preserving your smile with a lifelike and long-lasting dental bridge, or about how to use preventive dentistry to safeguard your smile from tooth loss altogether, then contact our team today. We want to make sure you continue to smile with confidence and enjoy optimal oral health.
Talk To Your Richfield, MN Dentist’s Office About Tooth Replacement
At our Richfield, MN dentist’s office, we know the importance of providing a lifelike and durable solution to tooth loss. We want you to feel proud to smile, and enjoy new teeth that look natural and provide many years of quality tooth replacement. To find out more about addressing your missing teeth, please call Cedar West Family Dentistry at (612) 861-7188.
