Dental Bridges

Are you looking to find a replacement for multiple missing teeth? Here at Providence Smiles, we offer high quality dental bridges to help repair and support your smile. Call us today at 919-732-8179 to learn more about dental bridges in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and to schedule your visit with our dentist, Dr. Kwame Gyampo!

What Are Dental Bridges

Dental bridges are one of the restorative options we recommend for patients who are missing one or more teeth in a row. Anchored into place using dentals crowns, attached to either dental implants or your healthy surrounding teeth, dental bridges are fixed (nonremovable) restorations that are custom-made to fit your smile comfortably and beautifully. Because they are held in place by these crowns, dental bridges do not shift or come loose easily, and they are designed to last you for several years. The entire bridge restoration can be completed in two visits to our office.

There are multiple different types of bridges. A traditional bridge is held into place using two crowns on either side of the gap, while a Cantilever bridge only uses one crown for support and a Maryland bridge operates through a framework that is bonded to the adjacent teeth, removing the need to file down your natural tooth structure to add a dental crown. An implant-supported bridge is similar to a traditional bridge, but it is anchored into place using dental implants instead of your natural teeth. This can help with the stability of your bridge and encourages positive bone health when multiple teeth are found missing in a row. It is also less expensive than receiving multiple implants in a row.

When you visit our office for your dental bridge, we will discuss your options with you and help you determine which type of bridge is best for your smile.

What Can a Dental Bridge Do?

Dental bridges are fairly versatile, and our dentist may recommend a bridge to:

• Alleviate stress on your bite
• Restore your speaking, eating and chewing abilities
• Improve the volume or shape of your face
• Replace an unstable or unwanted partial denture
• Prevent your smile from moving out of alignment
• Enhance the aesthetic appearance of your smile

Different types of dental bridges come with unique advantages and disadvantages, and it is important to discuss your restorative and aesthetic goals with our dentist before your treatment.

What Can I Expect From My Treatment?

The first step in your dental bridge restoration is taking an impression of your smile. Our dentist will be using this impression to create both your replacement tooth or teeth and the metal framework that will be used to hold the bridge in place. For a traditional bridge, they will need to prepare your adjacent teeth for dental crowns. For an implant-supported bridge, they will need to place your adjacent dental implants and allow them a period of healing before the second appointment. During your second appointment, our dentist will fit the final dental bridge into place and make any adjustments that may be needed for your comfort.

How Long Do Dental Bridges Last?

Dental bridges are built for long-term wear, and they can last up to 10 or 15 years depending on how well they are cared for. The best thing you can do for your bridge is keep up with your oral hygiene, visit our office for your regular check-ins and practice consistent preventive care. Many patients find floss threaders helpful for cleaning the hard-to-reach crevices between the bridge and its surrounding teeth.

To learn more about dental bridges and how they can be used to restore your smile, call our office today and plan your visit with our team.