We believe that the best teeth are your own teeth. We will do all we can to make sure you keep your teeth. But sometimes, a tooth is badly damaged or lost. One of the options available to replace a lost tooth (or teeth) is a dental bridge.
A bridge involves one or more false teeth that are held in place by surrounding healthy, natural teeth. Fitting you with a dental bridge involves several steps.
First, the teeth on each side of the missing one(s) are filed and shaped in preparation for the bridge; these teeth are called abutments. An impression (or a “mold”) is taken of the teeth, and from it, a model is poured.
A dental laboratory works with the doctor to custom hand-craft your bridge from this model, mimicking the size, shape, and color of your natural teeth. This can take 1 – 2 weeks and during this time a temporary bridge is placed on your teeth. The temporary bridge is designed to protect your teeth and gums between visits but is not durable enough to last a long time.
When your bridge is ready, your dentist will remove the temporary bridge, clean away the temporary cement and check the fit of the new bridge. If everything is acceptable; the bridge will then be cemented to your teeth. A bridge is not removable, once cemented, it remains in place.
It is important to take good care of your bridge with regular brushing, flossing, check-ups, and cleanings. We will show you how to use a floss threader to floss under and around the false tooth (or teeth) in the middle of the bridge.
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