Dental Bridges – Houston, TX
Finally Fill Your Smile Gap
When you lose teeth, life gets a bit challenging. Eating and speaking become tricky, and your grin doesn’t dazzle like before. If your missing chompers were adjacent, though, you might be in luck – you could try dental bridges! These restorations from Hiner Family Dentistry replace several teeth at once, thus restoring your smile’s look and function. To learn more about bridges and their benefits, just keep reading or contact our office for the details.
What is a Dental Bridge?
As an oral appliance, a dental bridge replaces adjacent missing teeth. It usually consists of a replacement tooth with porcelain materials fused to each side. These added elements help to keep it secure.
In general, ideal bridge candidates tend to have the following:
- One or more missing permanent teeth in one arch
- Healthy teeth and a strong bone structure that support the bridge
- A commitment to oral hygiene that maintains bridge stability
The Types of Dental Bridges
In a bridge treatment, the first step is to attend a dental consultation. This visit lets you discuss your smile goals and oral health with our dentists. That way, our office can learn your dental needs and how the procedure should work for you.
The consult will also confirm which type of dental bridge suits you. Based on its results, we’ll recommend one of two possible options:
Traditional Dental Bridge
As you might expect, the traditional bridge is the more popular kind. It’s usually formed by a pontic secured by dental crowns cemented to abutment teeth.
Since it relies on existing chompers, this bridge works when teeth are near the smile gap. In exchange, however, it removes some enamel to make room for the crowns.
Implant Bridge
In contrast to a traditional bridge, an implant one doesn’t use crowns. Instead, it secures itself with dental implants — prosthetic teeth that fuse with your jawbone. This method ensures the appliance is permanent and stable.
Implant bridges have unique perks for patients. For example, they don’t require a dentist to remove enamel from existing teeth.
The Benefits of Getting a Dental Bridge
When you get a dental bridge, you can expect various benefits. These include:
- A Beautiful, Restored Smile: A bridge’s artificial teeth are lifelike and beautiful. Furthermore, the restoration also keeps other teeth from tilting. As a result, your final smile looks straight and beautiful!
- Greater Confidence: A smile gap can easily make you self-conscious and insecure. Fortunately, a dental bridge fills that space and can thus strengthen your confidence.
- Better Eating & Speaking: Traditional or not, bridges act like natural teeth. As such, they generally help your ability to eat and speak. Implant types even have the advantage of being fused in place.
- Improved Oral Health: Left untended, tooth loss can lead to gum disease and jawbone deterioration. By getting a bridge, then, you’d keep such problems from happening.
As you can see, a dental bridge could work wonders for you. That being the case, go ahead and book a visit with our team today!