Dental Bridges
“restoring your smile and dental health”
Know how
About Dental Bridges
Having a missing tooth can be uncomfortable, can undermine self confidence and can put the health of remaining teeth at risk. Dental bridges are one way of ‘filling the gap’ to help restore your bite, smile and oral health. At Bethcar Dental we offer traditional, fixed dental bridges, to deliver the best results for our you and your wellbeing.
Knowhow
What is a traditional dental bridge?
Traditional dental bridges work by creating a ‘filler’ tooth that’s fixed to healthy adjacent teeth. The neighbouring teeth are fitted with crowns before the bridge is placed to ensure strong support.
Bridges provide a permanent solution for missing teeth, but unlike dental implants they can replace teeth without surgery. The finishes available mean that the new ‘tooth’ can almost completely blend in with your natural teeth.
As long as you look after them with a regular dental hygiene plan, they can last between 10 and 30 years before they need replacing.
Treatment Benefits
Benefits Of Dental Bridges
Dental bridges are a highly effective solution for filling gaps between teeth, providing both functional and aesthetic improvement when a single tooth has been damaged or lost. Traditional dental bridges have been found to be the most effective and long-lasting, while other benefits include:
Improved, natural looking smile
With the modern materials available, a dental bridge blends in with your natural teeth, restoring your smile and improving self confidence after tooth loss.
They make it easier to talk and eat
Many people find it hard to eat and speak properly when they have a missing tooth. Once fitted, a dental bridge functions like a regular tooth, restoring your ability to eat, drink and speak as usual.
Help keep the other teeth from changing position
One of the problems that can occur when there’s a gap between upper teeth is that the remaining teeth can begin to shift position over time out of their correct alignment. By filling the gap with a dental bridge it can help to prevent adjacent teeth from moving, retaining your smile and dental health.
Help protect the gums and jaw line
When there are gaps in our teeth it increases our susceptibility to tooth decay and gum disease as bacteria can enter the pockets and gaps. Having a high quality dental bridge fitted will help to reduce that susceptibility and help retain the health of remaining teeth.
Why Choose Us
An All-Encompassing Approach
When you have missing teeth you can expect an in-depth discussion about the benefits of replacing missing teeth.
Missing teeth can have a detrimental impact on your health beyond the mouth. We believe in holistic care meaning we take an all-round approach to your health.
A few things you may like to know
Frequently Asked Questions
What are dental bridges for?
A dental bridge is a fixed dental restoration for one or more missing teeth. Dental bridges can be a solution if you have a missing tooth, the cause of which is usually tooth decay, gum disease or an injury that has resulted in tooth loss. Your suitability for a dental bridge depends on what the damage is and how it’s been caused as well as your overall health. Importantly, bridges require you to have healthy teeth on either side of the gap to fix the bridge to.
What's involved in getting a bridge?
If you have a missing tooth, your dentist at Bethcar Dental will discuss the options with you to decide on the best solution for your needs. If a dental bridge is the best option, we will usually book two appointments for you, each of which will take between an hour and 90 minutes from start to finish. There are usually one to two weeks between appointments.
Appointment 1
The first appointment will be used to prepare the mouth for the new bridge. We will use a local anaesthetic to numb the area, and then the teeth on either side of the gap are filed down so that they can hold the bridge in place. We then take a mould from which we will create the bridge, and we will give you a temporary bridge to use between appointments.
Appointment 2
In your second appointment we will once again numb the area before fitting the custom made bridge using a dental cement to attach it to the adjacent teeth. After your appointment you will be advised on how long you should wait before resuming usual eating and drinking (only an hour or so), as well as recommended aftercare to make sure your dental bridge remains fitted and healthy. Once fitted, your bridge will function like a regular tooth.
Is a dental bridge right for me?
Dental bridges are a popular solution for missing teeth because they are permanent, look and feel like your regular teeth and last a long time as long as they are properly cared for. However, there are a few requirements to consider:
You have a single missing tooth
You’re a good candidate for a dental bridge if you have a single tooth missing – either as a result of injury or gum disease. If you have multiple missing teeth then we will discuss alternative options with you to find the best solution.
The adjacent teeth are healthy
For a dental bridge to work you must have healthy teeth on either side of the gap for the bridge to be attached to.
High risk patients
If you have a lot of recurring issues with your teeth or are likely to be in need of root canal treatment in the near future then dental bridges might not be the right solution for you. This is because there may be a risk of infection that could damage other teeth. Your health and wellbeing is always our priority, so if this is a concern we will discuss it with you.
Patients with periodontitis
If you have periodontitis (a severe gum infection or gum disease), then we would not recommend fitting a dental bridge until the issue is resolved because it may cause damage to the soft tissue in the gums or put other teeth at risk.
Children with tooth loss
Dental bridges are almost never provided to children, however this depends on their age and circumstances. On the rare occasion that a child loses a secondary tooth we will discuss the options with them and their parents to find the right solution for their long-term health and wellbeing.