Complete Your “Gappy” Smile with Natural-looking Dental Bridges
You have 32 teeth, so it’s fair to assume losing one tooth won’t be that bad. The reality is that losing one or more teeth can have a tremendous impact on your oral health. Whether you have lost your teeth to injury or disease, you will notice the impact on your speech or when eating. Besides, tooth loss gives birth to an empty space where neighboring teeth can slide into. This dental drift leads to misalignment that causes jaw pain, headaches, and other unpleasant symptoms.
Thankfully, you don’t have to live with a toothless smile. Dental bridges from Neal Edwards DDS in Riverside, California, can replace your missing smile to restore your smile and oral function.
What are dental bridges?
Dental bridges fill in the gap left by the missing teeth. There are different types of bridges, but all consist of pontics (artificial teeth) that bridge the edentulous gap. Traditional bridges are held in place by healthy teeth on the sides of the gap. These neighboring teeth, also called abutments, are secured by dental crowns to hold your bridges firmly.Â
Cantilever bridges are held in place by one abutment tooth, while implant bridges don’t need the support of other teeth. Implant bridges are secured by the jawbone, leaving the adjacent teeth intact.
The dental implant procedure
Every dental procedure at Neal Edwards DDS starts with a consultation. Here, we examine your current dental health and establish your candidacy for dental bridges. We take a detailed picture of your mouth, gums and teeth to determine the type of bridge suitable for your smile.
We will start the tooth preparation process if you are a suitable candidate for a dental bridge. This procedure is done after administering local anesthesia in the treatment area. Next, we start filing down the surviving teeth to create space for dental crowns. Then, we take your bite impressions to custom-make your pontic and dental crowns. Until your dental bridge is ready, we will place a temporary one to protect your smile.
Once your bridge is ready, you will book another appointment with Dr. Neal Edwards for installation. We make a few tweaks to your dental bridge before bonding it to your teeth using dental cement. You must make follow-up visits to ensure your bridge feels and fits just right.
Dental bridges in Riverside, California
Dental bridges can dramatically improve your life by rectifying your missing teeth. If you want to rebuild your smile with dental bridges, please dial (951) 614-0033 to schedule an appointment with Neal Edwards, DDS.