Dental Bridges in Hacienda Heights CA

You can lose teeth in many different ways, including dental problems like decay or periodontal disease, or through accidents and other mishaps. In the past, the loss of a tooth was simply something most people had to learn to accept. Today, there are many alternatives to ensure that a missing tooth doesn’t have to become an embarrassment. One technique called a Dental Bridge in Hacienda Heights CA is a unique solution to the problem.

A dental bridge is designed to address a particular kind of missing tooth problem for dental patients in Hacienda Heights CA. If there is a “space” in your mouth where you have a tooth, followed by a missing tooth and then another tooth, a dental bridge is a perfect solution. It is important not just for the sake of appearances, but even for your overall dental health that such a sizable gap is not allowed to persist.

Missing a tooth in a row of teeth can interfere with both your ability to speak and eat. Without an equal amount of pressure from all sides, the teeth where a gap is present may eventually become crooked with nothing to hold them securely in place. The unequal distribution of forces in your mouth when you eat, speak, and bite down can also affect your other teeth and even, potentially the shape of your face and lips.

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How Dental Bridges In Hacienda Heights CA Work

Where the dental bridge comes in is by filling this gap between the teeth. If you decide to have a dental bridge placed, the abutment teeth ( teeth that will receive the abutment crowns) will be reduced all around to accommodate the dental bridge.

The dental bridge itself will look like a complete row of three teeth. But only the middle tooth is “complete” from top to bottom, designed to fill out space in your mouth. The other two teeth have been prepared to fit the customized bridge that the laboratory made. They will have a snug, tight fit that will be just as secure as your normal teeth.

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Different Bridges

There is a variety of different dental bridge techniques designed to address different needs. The traditional dental bridge in Hacienda Heights works as described above. Another type is a Maryland bridge where the two teeth anchoring the bridge are not ground down and are preserved. The metal or ceramic "wings" of the bridge are bonded to the back of the adjacent teeth. These are usually done on lower front teeth where there's not much loading. Another type is a Cantilever bridge on which the bridge is anchored only by one tooth instead of two.

Dental bridges are made in a variety of materials including porcelain fused to metal, all metal or Zirconia. They can be colored to match the color of your own teeth as closely as possible. Once cemented, the margins of the abutment crowns need to be always meticulously cleaned by brushing, flossing and using a floss threader to insert the floss and clean the teeth adjacent to the pontic. Regular professional cleaning is also necessary to prevent the abutment teeth from decaying.

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If you have a problem with a missing tooth, it’s certainly not something that you have to live with forever. A dental bridge is an effective, permanent option that can take care of the problem once and for all. Talk to our top-rated dental team at Hacienda Heights Gentle Smiles today for more information.