Dental Bridges
Dental Bridge Dentistry to Fix and Fill in Teeth Gaps
At Walker & Krause Dental Team in Olympia, our dentists have the expertise you need when it comes to providing you with the best dental care. An important part of that care is helping you address any damage to your teeth or unwanted gaps between them. To overcome these problems, we recommend using dental bridges. A dental bridge is a fixed prosthetic device that we can place in your mouth to cover injured teeth or fill gaps between them.
Why Do I Need A Dental Bridge?
If you’re missing one or more teeth, a dental bridge can be exactly what you need to fill the gap where your teeth used to be. It’s important to address spaces left by missing teeth because your remaining teeth can shift into improper positions, which can in turn affect your bite. A bad bite can lead to more serious issues such as temporomandibular joint disorders and gum disease. A dental bridge is designed to prevent these problems, and if it’s well maintained, it can last a lifetime.
What Is A Dental Bridge?
A traditional dental bridge is cemented to the natural teeth adjacent to the empty space(s) in your mouth. These teeth, referred to as abutments, serve as solid anchors for the bridge. Within the bridge itself, we place one or more pontics (artificial teeth), which are held in place by these abutments. One drawback of this type of traditional dental bridge is that we must remove some enamel from your abutment teeth and place crowns on them to accommodate the bridge.
What Are Some Other Dental Bridge Options?
While the traditional dental bridge is common and undeniably effective, there are some alternatives that may be more appealing to your preferences and unique situation. A Maryland dental bridge is one that uses porcelain or metal wings instead of crowns in order to anchor to the two adjacent teeth. A cantilever bridge is specialized to deal with scenarios where you only have one available tooth to serve as an abutment.
Lastly, implant-supported bridges bypass the need to use neighboring teeth as anchors because we use dental implants placed in your jawbone for this purpose instead. The downside to this particular option is that it may require more than one surgery, and the process may take months instead of weeks.
With all of these different kinds of dental bridges available, our highly trained dentists will guide you in making an informed decision that will best fit your needs. If you think that a dental bridge is right for you, any member of our dental team can discuss your options with you.