The second “fixed” option to replace missing teeth is the dental bridge. Like the name implies, a dental bridge consists of a minimum of one bridge “abutment” on each side of the missing tooth, which supports a “pontic” – the prosthetic tooth which is positioned comfortably over the gums to replace one or more missing teeth.
Creating your custom dental bridge requires a minimum of two office visits. At the first visit, the adjacent teeth are prepared for crowns to act as abutments. A custom impression is taken to create your bridge in our dental lab, and a temporary bridge is fabricated that same day which you will wear with great comfort and confidence for several weeks until your bridgework is complete. Once complete, your temporary bridge is removed and the definitive bridge is cemented into position.
Prior to the advancement of implant dentistry, bridgework was the gold standard in the replacement of missing teeth. Today, we generally consider bridgework a very good second option and expect your dental bridge to last between ten and twenty years, depending upon your hygiene, the position, and stresses that are placed upon it.
As with all of our dental products, we use only the strongest, most esthetic and safest biomaterials available for the fabrication of your dental bridgework.