Dental Bridge is a prosthetic apparatus and is used to cover the area of the mouth where a tooth is missing. On both the ends of the bridge your dentist will fix a crown which is also called as cap. The crown helps in connecting teeth on both the sides of the space that needs to be filled. Once all this is done a false tooth connects both the crowns hence completing the spot of missing teeth.
Tooth loss can happen due to numerous reasons. The most common reason for tooth loss is undergoing a physical trauma. The other reason of tooth loss is periodontal disease. It is important to undergo a dental bridge procedure in the event of tooth loss because the remaining teeth will shift in the gaps. This will impact the normal bite of a patient. Apart from all this a patient might even suffer from gum diseases and other dental problems.
Your dentist will decide which dental bridge is best suitable for you. Generally these are of three types: traditional, cantilever and Maryland. It is important for you to know what these three bridges consist of:
1. Traditional bridge: Has crowns connected to both the sides of the artificial tooth.
2. Cantilever bridge: This is an artificial tooth which is connected to just one crown.
3. Maryland bridge: This is an artificial tooth and is attached to existing teeth on both sides.
The dental bridge procedure cannot be done in just one day. You will have to make multiple visits to the dental clinic to achieve the desired result. Being a surgical procedure your dentist will be using anesthesia on the gum tissues to make the area numb. After this your dental professional will reshape the teeth and fix the crown. It is important for these crowns to fit snugly so that they can hold dental bridge in place.
After your dentist reshapes the tooth he will take an impression of the missing tooth and surrounding teeth. Once your dentist takes an impression he will send it to a laboratory so that a customized dental bridge is created. This customized apparatus will fit inside your mouth in the exact manner as your natural tooth. As long as you do not receive a new dental bridge your dentist will give you a temporary one which will be secured by cement. It takes few weeks for the permanent bridge to arrive at the dental clinic.
The life span of a dental bridge is nearly 10 years but you need to make sure that it is taken god care of. Dental Cavities can be one of the reasons for these bridges to fail. So taking care of them becomes downright important. Do not forget to consult your dentist in the event of any emergency.