Dental Bridges

A Solution for the Gap in Your Smile

A missing tooth (or more than one) can create a gap in your smile, which can drastically alter your looks. It can also cause several dental problems, top among them being the reduced functioning when eating, and even talking. Luckily, it is possible to restore the full appearance and function using various dental solutions. At Dublin Family Dental, we offer dental bridges, one of the top solutions for tooth loss. Read on below to find out more.

What are Dental Bridges?

Dental bridges are prosthetic dental devices which are used to replace one or more missing teeth. The bridge is comprised of fake teeth, known as pontics, which are used to replace the missing teeth. On either side of the pontics are two or more dental crowns (known as the abutment teeth). These are used to anchor the fake teeth to the existing natural teeth or dental implants. When the prosthetic is placed, it literary creates a bridge between the remaining natural teeth, hence the name.

The Different Dental Bridge Options

There are different dental bridge options you can choose from when looking to replace your lost teeth. They include:

•	Traditional bridges - traditional bridges are the most common type of dental bridge. They are comprised of one or more fake teeth, which are held in place using dental crowns on both sides (of the fake teeth). For this reason, they are used to replace a gap between natural teeth. The dental crowns used are fixed by cementing them onto existing natural teeth, which requires parts of the enamel to be removed to create space for the crowns.
•	Cantilever bridges - the cantilever bridge is similar to the traditional bridge, with the only difference being that it comes with one anchor tooth (dental crown) on one side of the fake teeth. Therefore, it can be used to fix the gap in your smile, even if there only remains one natural tooth next to the gap. However, just like with the standard bridge, a part of the natural tooth used to anchor the bridge will have to be removed.
•	Maryland bridges - the Maryland bridges also come with two anchor teeth on each side of the fake ones. However, unlike with the standard or cantilever bridges, the anchor teeth do not need to be placed on top of natural teeth. Instead, a slight reduction is made on the inner (back) surface of the natural teeth adjacent to the gap. The anchor teeth are then bonded onto these natural teeth.
•	Implant-supported bridges - an implant supported bridge uses dental implants as opposed to natural teeth to hold the bridge. This type of bridge can feature one implant for every missing tooth, and these implants are then used to support a bridge of dental crowns. However, when there are too many missing teeth, two implants (one at each end of the gap) can be inserted and used to hold a traditional-type bridge.

Dublin Family Dental is committed to helping restore your smile and tooth function by offering you the best tooth replacement solution. Call us today at (925) 587-4417 to schedule an appointment.

Office hours

Mon - Thurs: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Fri - Sun: Closed

Location

8265 Village Parkway
Dublin, CA 94568

Contact

Office: (925) 587-4417
staff@dublinfamilydental.com