What Are Dental Bridges?

Bridges are a type of dental restoration that is used to replace missing teeth. They can be made of porcelain, gold, or titanium and are anchored onto the natural teeth on either side of the space where a tooth has been lost. They serve as an artificial replacement for lost teeth by preserving facial form and supporting adjacent structures such as the jawbone and tongue.

What is the Purpose of a Dental Bridge?

The purpose of dental bridges is to replace missing teeth. This can be for cosmetic reasons, or because without your tooth you may experience problems with chewing and speaking properly. Bridges protect adjacent teeth from shifting out of alignment by acting as a support structure.

Dentists usually recommend having two artificial teeth at least on either side in order to create an anchor point for the bridge, but some patients will have one tooth on either side that needs replacing, and they’ll end up getting what’s called a partial denture-which requires more work over time to maintain it than if there were two natural teeth next door to hold onto the bridge between them.

How Are Dental Bridges Installed?

Patients often wonder what it takes to get a bridge put in. First, the tooth that has to come out is extracted.

Then a space must be prepared for it by removing bone from around and below the adjacent teeth on either side of where the bridge will go-to leave room, so there’s no interference with nearby structures when you bite down.

If your dentist decides to use an implant as one anchor point, it may have to be put in first before extracting any teeth because this process can take up to six months or more. You might need two implants if there are only two natural teeth left next door on either side of where your new bridge would be placed. If you’re getting a single tooth replacement (a partial denture), then usually just one implant suffices between them.

Once the procedure is complete, you’ll be back to smiling and eating like you used to with little to no trouble. If you have issues with missing teeth or an inability to speak or eat properly due to tooth loss, consider contacting your dentist about having a dental bridge installed.