At Miller Center Dental, we provide skilled care to help every patient enjoy optimal oral health and a beautiful smile. For individuals missing teeth due to decay, periodontal disease, trauma, illness, or side effects of medical treatment, we offer a comprehensive range of services to rebuild complete, attractive, and functional smiles.
How Missing Teeth Impact Your Smile
Missing teeth do more than cause embarrassing gaps in your smile. In the absence of a replacement, they can affect the health and function of your smile in the following ways:
- Impair your ability to smile, speak, and chew with confidence and ease.
- Allow adjacent teeth to slowly drift into unoccupied spaces, changing the alignment of your smile and bite.
- Cause teeth in the opposing arch that no longer occlude with a counterpart to extrude and further compromise your bite.
- Promote cavities and gum disease as teeth shift out of place, affect biting and chewing forces, and become harder to keep clean.
Rebuilding A Complete Smile
Although missing teeth can compromise your dental health and well-being, modern dentistry offers effective solutions to restore a complete, attractive, and well-functioning smile.
Thanks to advances in dental materials, technology, and treatment methods, it’s easier than ever to replace missing teeth and achieve aesthetically pleasing, long-lasting results.
Of course, each smile is different, and every patient has unique needs and individual expectations of care. Helping a patient rebuild a complete and beautiful smile may involve partial or full dentures, fixed dental bridges, or dental implants.
As skilled and experienced providers of care, Miller Center Dental offers expert guidance on choosing the most suitable treatment option. Whatever type of tooth replacement method you select, you can feel confident that your smile will look good and feel great!
A dental crown is a full-coverage restoration that replicates the form and function of a natural tooth.
About Dental Bridges
A dental bridge offers an effective, stable, fixed solution for replacing missing teeth. Unlike removable partial dentures that clasp onto remaining teeth, a dental bridge relies on crowns attached to teeth adjacent to the edentulous area or strategically placed dental implants. Besides restoring the look, feel, and function of a natural smile, they prevent teeth from shifting, protecting the alignment of a patient’s bite.
Far from a new idea, the history of replacing teeth with a fixed dental bridge goes back thousands of years. Ancient civilizations made impressive use of available materials, including animal and human teeth, bones, gold, and ivory, to fill gaps in a person’s smile.
Over the millennia, dental materials and technology have evolved. Today, dental bridges are made from high-quality materials, including porcelain, porcelain-fused-to-metal, and engineered ceramics such as zirconia. They are stronger, more durable, and appear more attractive and natural.
Common Types of Dental Bridges
Depending on the number of missing teeth, the health of the remaining dentition, and other factors, a dental bridge can replace a single missing tooth or multiple ones.
Although most resources list a traditional fixed bridge, an implant-supported bridge, a cantilever bridge, and a Maryland bridge as the four main types of bridges, the most commonly recommended ones are the first two.
Traditional Fixed Bridge
A traditional fixed bridge requires preparing and crowning teeth on either side of the edentulous space. These crowned teeth support the artificial ones, called “pontics,” that span the gap. Like a bridge over water relies on strong pillars at each end, a dental bridge gains strength and stability from the terminal crowned teeth fused to one or more pontics.
Although related and similar to a traditional fixed bridge, a cantilever fixed bridge differs in one significant way. Only one side of the pontic will get attached to a crown for support.
Implant-Supported Bridges
As the most advanced method for replacing missing teeth, dental implants come closest to replicating the look, feel, and function of a natural smile. For this reason, an implant-supported bridge is often the best option for care.
With an implant-supported bridge, there is no need to prepare, crown, or involve adjacent natural teeth. Dental implants act like natural tooth roots and provide all the support a bridge requires.
Besides providing a self-supporting solution for missing teeth, implant-supported bridges offer the most versatile approach to rebuilding a complete smile. Strategically placed dental implants can support any number of replacement teeth up to a full set of upper or lower teeth.
Furthermore, dental implants stimulate the surrounding jawbone just like natural roots, so implant-supported bridges also help prevent the bone shrinkage that naturally occurs when teeth are lost. This feature helps maintain normal facial contours.
At Miller Center Dental, our mission is to help every patient enjoy good oral health and the benefits of a beautiful smile. We provide skilled, experienced care and offer the most advanced dental implant-based solutions to transform incomplete smiles into ones that look great, function well, and inspire confidence.
Before Fabrication
Successful treatment depends on many factors, including a careful assessment of oral health, well-being, smile goals, lifestyle, and budget. Whether you qualify for a traditional fixed bridge, implant-supported bridge, or removable denture will be determined after a comprehensive assessment and discussion with our office. We value patient input and strive to meet your care expectations.
Before fabricating and placing a dental bridge, your mouth must be free from gum disease. If you have gum disease, it must be treated first.
For traditional fixed bridges, crowned teeth must be strong and supported by sufficient bone. Sometimes, bone grafting is needed to increase bone volume and create a solid foundation before fabricating an implant-supported or traditional bridge.
At Miller Center Dental, the care and comfort of our patients are our top priorities. Our goals are to create healthy, beautiful smiles and to make every dental experience a positive one.
What To Expect When Getting A Traditional Bridge
Fixed bridges are usually fabricated over multiple visits. The process includes preparing supporting teeth, taking impressions, placing a temporary bridge, and trying in and cementing the permanent restoration.
The process begins with a complete diagnostic workup to develop a treatment plan. For patients receiving a traditional fixed bridge, the next step is preparing the abutment teeth for full-coverage crowns. Depending on the number of teeth and other factors, an impression for the permanent bridge may be taken this visit or the next. Either way, a temporary bridge or crowns will be placed to protect the prepared teeth.
After preparing the teeth, some sensitivity and gum soreness are common. This discomfort usually subsides. However, because temporary restorations fit less precisely than permanent ones, you may feel some residual sensitivity until treatment is complete.
Until the permanent crown or bridge is placed, be extra careful. Temporary restorations are less durable than permanent ones. If your temporary is damaged or comes off, keep it and contact our office to schedule a replacement. Do not try to fix it yourself.
Before cementing your new bridge, the shade, contours, fit, and occlusion are checked. Then your permanent restoration is placed. Since you wore a temporary, your bite may feel different, and you may feel pressure as the new restoration establishes contact with adjacent teeth. If your bite feels off after a few days or discomfort continues, contact our office. You may need a minor adjustment.
What To Expect When Getting An Implant-Supported Bridge
Surgery to place dental implants is usually a minor outpatient procedure. However, the exact extent depends on the type and number of implants, as well as whether additional procedures are needed to prepare the supporting bone.
As your trusted care partner, our office will keep you informed every step. To ensure precise implant placement for your implant-supported bridge, we will take detailed diagnostic records, including 3D images of your jaws and the area involved.
Patient care and comfort are our top priorities. We do everything to put you at ease and make every visit comfortable and stress-free. Before placing your dental implants, we will discuss anesthesia and sedation options and provide detailed pre-op and post-op instructions. Once your dental implants are placed, it can take a few months for them to fully integrate with the surrounding bone. In some cases, a same-day temporary bridge can be placed to provide an immediate and cosmetically pleasing look. However, the permanent bridge is typically placed once healing and osseointegration (fusion) with the surrounding bone are complete.
Dental Bridges FAQS
Will My Smile Feel Different?
Your new bridge is customized to the exact specifications of your smile. Before cementing to the underlying teeth or affixing it to the supporting implants, the shade, occlusion, and all aspects of its fit are carefully checked. In addition to being designed to blend seamlessly with your smile, it’s also made to suit your bite and withstand all manner of oral function. We take great care to ensure your new restoration looks great, fits well, and feels comfortable.
Does Dental Insurance Cover The Cost Of A Bridge?
Replacing missing teeth with a dental bridge is a worthwhile investment in your smile’s look, health, and function. Many dental insurances cover dental bridges, and some cover implants, but benefits and amounts vary by plan. At Miller Center Dental, we understand financial concerns and do all we can to help patients start treatment without stress or delay. In addition to optimizing your dental benefits, we offer several payment and financing options. Contact our office with any questions about costs, insurance, financing, or payment methods.
What’s The Best Way To Care For My New Bridge?
Now that your new permanent crown or bridge is in place, maintaining good oral hygiene is essential. With proper care, your restorations will last for years. Brush and floss as instructed. We will show you how to floss under your dental bridge to keep your smile clean and bright. Remember to schedule routine checkups and professional cleanings.
How Long Can A Bridge Last?
The standard answer is that with routine dental visits and good home care, a bridge can last ten to fifteen years, and in many cases, much longer.
Why Choose Our Office?
At Miller Center Dental, we fabricate your bridge from the highest-quality dental materials to achieve the most cosmetically pleasing, lifelike results. It’s also customized to the exact specifications of your smile and designed for optimal aesthetics, strength, and stability. Once fabricated and cemented into place, you’ll feel confident sharing your smile, speaking, and eating your favorite foods.
As your trusted partner in care, we analyze every aspect of your smile to develop a treatment plan that provides aesthetically pleasing, healthy, and long-lasting results.
Call us today for more information about dental bridges or any of our restorative treatments.