Questions About Your Dental Bridge
Northern Virginia, including Arlington, Tysons Corner, Alexandria, Fairfax, and McLean, Virginia
How long does the dental bridge process take?
The dental bridge process will take several weeks to complete and will require at least two office visits: one to prepare the teeth to receive the dental bridge and one to permanently cement the new dental bridge. If there are any problems with the fit or look of the dental bridge, additional office visits may be necessary.
What are the advantages of dental bridges?
Dental bridges have been used for years to restore smiles by eliminating embarrassing empty gaps. With the use of all-porcelain dental crowns in this procedure, your smile can look even more natural and aesthetically pleasing. Above and beyond the physical benefits of this procedure, there are also other advantages including:
- Allowing you to speak and chew properly
- Preventing the eventual shifting of the teeth surrounding the gap, which can lead to a malaligned bite
- Keeping your bite forces equally distributed throughout your mouth to prevent Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD)
What are the disadvantages of dental bridges?
Traditional dental bridges must rely on the teeth adjacent to the empty gap to act as anchors for the replacement tooth. These teeth must be prepared to receive a dental crown, which means a small amount of tooth enamel is removed from the healthy teeth so the anchor crowns can be properly fitted to avoid future complications.
Even though the anchor teeth are crowned, they are still subject to tooth decay and gum disease, which can lead to the need for dental bridge replacement.
Because the replacement tooth does not stimulate the underlying jaw bone, there is a risk of jaw bone shrinkage, again causing complications with the surrounding healthy teeth.
What is the lifespan of a dental bridge?
The average lifespan of a dental bridge is seven to 15 years. Unlike a dental implant, which is a permanent tooth replacement and artificial tooth root replacement, a dental bridge will most likely need to be replaced.
If you live in the Northern Virginia area and have lost a tooth, please contact the experienced cosmetic dentists at Galleria Dental Aesthetics to have your smile evaluated to see if you are a good candidate for a dental bridge or an alternative tooth replacement procedure.
