What Are the Pros and Cons of the Dental Bridge?

If you are missing a tooth or several teeth, a bridge with artificial teeth can be an ideal option to fill the gap left behind. A tooth bridge usually consists of crowns on both sides of its structure supporting the (false tooth) pontic.

When you lose a tooth or several teeth, the space left can cause nearby teeth to shift out of place, causing chewing difficulties, bite problems, and pain. Therefore, a dentist near you will recommend replacing the missing dental with a bridge, tooth implant, or denture to avoid such issues.

Types of Bridges

Heavenly Smiles Dentist offers four main types of tooth bridges. They are:

• Traditional fixed bridge – This is the most common bridge type and is used in replacement of missing teeth gap surrounded by healthy natural teeth on either side to support the bridge.
• Maryland tooth bridge – Maryland bridge is best used to replace lost front teeth and is made of ceramic or porcelain-fused-to-metal.
• Implant-supported bridge – It is almost similar to a traditional fixed tooth bridge, but this one is held in position by implants instead of cement.
• Cantilever bridge – Mostly preferred when there is not a single tooth remaining on one side of the lost teeth.

The Pros of a Dental Bridge

Modern dental treatment offers various solutions for replacing a single tooth or multiple of them. One such option that is a popular choice for patients is dental bridges, but just like other medical treatments, there are cons and pros associated with it.

Some of the pros of getting a bridge are:

• Natural looking

A dental bridge in Poway, CA, is offered in various varieties, including gold, and porcelain, among other alloys. Despite the multiple options to choose from, most people who get bridges prefer the ones made from porcelain over other alloys. This is because of porcelain’s natural-looking features. If you thus have missing teeth and want to have a smile that looks natural, you can visit our dentist in 92064 for porcelain dental bridges.

• Comfortable and more secure than dentures

Both full and partial dentures need a temporary sealant to be secured to the wearer’s gums, something most people find messy and uncomfortable. This is usually different from bridges since they are secured better.

• Low maintenance

Once your bridge procedure is complete, no maintenance visits at the dentist are required unless you have problems like painful gums or plaque buildup. The only care dental bridges need is good oral hygiene that involves regular cleanings and brushing routines.

• Quick procedure

Getting a tooth bridge is quick and easy compared to a dental implant. When you decide to get a bridge, you will only need to visit your dentist’s office twice. During your first visit, our dentist will prepare the adjacent teeth for crown placement and place the actual crowns during your second appointment.

• Affordable

When you compare the cost of getting a tooth bridge to a dental implant, the bridge procedure becomes more affordable. In addition to this, dental bridges have a durability of 10 to 15 years if properly cared for, making them a worthy investment.

Cons

• Risk of sustaining nerve damage

Before getting a bridge, you should know that there is an approximate 1% to 15% chance that your bridgework may cause the nerves underneath to die. Nerve damage necessitates root canal therapy which also has its set of risks.

• Bridges are not permanent

Dental bridges do not offer a permanent solution as they are prone to wear and tear, thus needing constant replacement approximately after every ten years. If you decide to get them, be ready to make this commitment.

• Maintaining hygiene is difficult

Maintaining good dental hygiene while having dental bridges can be challenging because of how difficult it becomes to floss. Bridges can be maintained in a way similar to natural teeth, but because of the dental crowns, the possibilities of plaque formation become much higher.

• Requires filing down of healthy teeth

For a bridge to be held in place, teeth on both sides of the missing tooth must be fitted with crowns. Unfortunately, the dental crown procedure will involve filing your natural tooth down, so the crown fits on top. This means that you will lose some parts of your healthy teeth in the process.