Types of Dental Bridges and Who Needs Them

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By Regal Oaks Dental Charlotte

Are you facing issues with missing one or multiple missing teeth? If so, you may struggle with daily activities like speaking, eating, etc. In addition, missing teeth can negatively impact your appearance. You may feel self-conscious about your smile if you have missing teeth. Therefore, you must replace missing teeth to restore both function and appearance, no matter what the reason for tooth loss. Here comes the role of dental bridges.

Dentists recommend missing teeth replacement to maintain your dental health. When you replace missing teeth, it will prevent your remaining teeth from shifting to fill the gap, which can lead to a misaligned bite. A misaligned bite has the ability to escalate complications further, as it places extra strain on the jaw point. Therefore, missing teeth replacement can preserve the structural integrity of your smile.

This is the reason why dentists provide different dental restorations for missing teeth replacement. Dental bridges are one of the most commonly used restorations. However, you will find several types of bridges. This guide will illustrate various bridges.

Different Types of Dental Bridges and Their Use

Below are the different types of bridges available.

Traditional Dental Bridges

These ones are the most commonly used. Traditional ones are composed of an artificial tooth surrounded on either side by a dental crown. The crowns support the bridge, while the artificial tooth bridges the gap that a missing tooth leaves.

It is to be stated that there must be healthy teeth on either side of the gap to place a traditional dental bridge. Professionals will modify both of these teeth to provide dental crowns and support the bridge.

Cantilever Bridges

They are slightly different in structure than the other types of bridges. This is because cantilever bridges use a single original tooth to support an artificial tooth. Often, these bridges are easier to place. In addition, they are more affordable than the other types of bridges, as they only need a crown to be placed on a single tooth.

However, this denotes that cantilever bridges come with a deficiency of the same strength as the other types. Therefore, professionals use these dental bridges Charlotte towards the front of the mouth.

Implant-supported Bridges

The name tells everything. These bridges are supported by dental implants. Implants are considered artificial tooth roots. Dentists use them when it comes to replacing missing teeth.

Professionals use implant-supported bridges when the teeth surrounding the gap cannot support dental crowns, or there are multiple missing adjacent teeth. However, there must be a significant amount of bone mass to place implant-supported bridges. Therefore, everyone cannot use this type of dental bridge.

Maryland Bonded Bridges

These bridges use a metal framework to support itself. You do not need dental crowns with these bridges. Instead, a metal framework is surrounded by or clung to the original teeth or either side of the artificial tooth. Maryland bridges are significant for those patients who do not want their original teeth altered, as these dental bridges do not need dental crowns.

Talk to our dentists if you want to replace your missing teeth with dental bridges. Assessing your situation, they can provide you with the best dental bridge suited for you.

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