When you lose a tooth, you shouldn’t feel embarrassed or try to hide your smile. Instead, you can seek a replacement option that fills the gaps and preserve the function and beauty of your smile. In today’s blog, your Cerritos, CA, dentist’s office can discuss how we create and place a custom and lifelike dental bridge.
The Factors Behind Missing Teeth
How does someone lose a natural tooth? Missing teeth could be due to injury to the smile, untreated tooth decay or infection, or in most cases, the advanced stage of gum disease. Known as periodontitis. When your teeth become lost, major complications could arise, as we will discuss further on. Which is why you should schedule an appointment to see us right away. We will assess the factors behind your tooth loss and treat any underlying oral health concerns, so we can move forward with the creation and placement of a dental prosthetic.
Complications of Tooth Loss
The gap could cause surrounding teeth to move from position, creating misalignment and with it, an increased risk of cavities and gum disease. The strain on your jaw joints could also boost the overall risk of TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding). To avoid these issues, which could also include difficulties eating or even speaking clearly you need a prosthetic to fill the gap in your smile. If you have between one and three lost teeth in a row, then our team could recommend a dental bridge.
Creating and Placing a Dental Bridge
To get started, our team will need to numb the teeth on each side of the gap, known as abutment teeth. We remove structure from them to make room for crowns, and then we take detailed digital images of the gap and the prepared teeth. In a dental lab setting, we will use the images and measurements to design and craft the finished product. The bridge will contain new teeth, known as pontics, with crowns on one of both ends. We craft them from ceramic, which can handle daily bite forces and offer a lifelike appearance, blending with your smile. We connect the crowns to the abutment teeth to place your prosthetic. With proper care and attention, they can last as long as 15 years.
If you have any questions about missing teeth or about prosthetic placement in the form of a dental bridge, then contact our team today to learn more. We’re ready to offer you a complete smile again!
SPEAK WITH YOUR CERRITOS, CA DENTIST ABOUT OUR PROSTHETICS
A dental bridge can help you enjoy a complete smile again with a minimally invasive prosthetic. To learn more about replacing your missing teeth, then call your Cerritos, CA dentist’s office at (562)584-4082!
