Dental Bridge
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 on the missing one(s) are filed and shaped in preparation for the bridge; these teeth are called abutments. An impression (or a “mould") 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 colour 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.