Dental bridges are a restorative dental solution used to replace multiple missing teeth. Patients who have multiple missing teeth are prone to shifting teeth, tooth decay, and further tooth loss. Dr. Elise Brace provides dental bridge treatment at Kildaire Family & Cosmetic Dentistry in Cary, North Carolina.
She aims to offer comfortable treatment to restore her patient’s smiles. Learn more about the benefits of dental bridges as well as the treatment process of receiving a dental bridge below.
Benefits of Dental Bridges
Dental bridges provide multiple benefits to patients with missing teeth. Bridges:
- Close gaps between teeth
- Allow patients to properly chew and speak
- Maintain face shape
- Redistribute the bite
- Prevent remaining teeth from drifting
Ideal candidates for dental bridges should be missing one or more teeth. A dental bridge requires healthy teeth on either side of a tooth gap. If you have more than three missing teeth in a row or whole arches of missing teeth, dentures and partials are a better option.
Dental Bridge Treatment
To begin treatment, Dr. Brace will put together a treatment plan that works with your dental health needs, budget, and cosmetic goals. For a dental implant-supported bridge, we will insert the implants and then allow several months of healing time. Next, we will secure the final restoration.
We will offer you a temporary bridge during this 3 to 6-month period. Once the gums have healed, we take dental impressions so that we can design your final restoration. A dental lab will fabricate your dental bridge and your dentist will permanently secure it in our office.
How to Care for a Dental Bridge
Once Dr. Brace applies the dental bridge, she will instruct you on how to care for it. You will need to ensure that you are brushing and flossing around and underneath the dental bridge to avoid the buildup of plaque and food residue. We also suggest avoiding excessively crunchy or chewy foods to prevent damage to your restoration.
Implant-Supported Dental Bridge
If you have several consecutive missing teeth, Dr. Brace will recommend using dental implants to support a dental bridge. This will involve having an oral surgeon place at least two implant posts in the jaw bone. They will permanently fuse with the surrounding bone to create a stable base for the bridge.
Once you have healed and the implants have fully fused, typically about three to six months, we will secure a dental bridge to the dental implants. The implants will additionally help to stimulate natural bone growth in the jaw and maintain the structure of your face.
Patients who choose to replace their missing teeth with implants will enjoy a better quality of life. Dental implants are the closest thing to natural teeth and will allow patients to enjoy a greater variety of food with fewer eating restrictions. They have a high success rate, and a high patient satisfaction rate, and can last a lifetime.
Call Our Cary, NC Dental Office
Do you want to replace multiple missing teeth? In addition to providing dental crowns in Cary, NC, we also offer dental bridges to our patients that are good candidates. Contact Dr. Elise Brace for care today by calling 919.823.7107. You may also request a consultation with Dr. Brace on our website.