The unwelcome changes caused by tooth loss can affect more than just your confidence in the way you look. Even if it is difficult for people to tell that you have lost a tooth, the problem can hurt your ability to bite and chew. In the long run, you can wind up losing more teeth, or experience consequences from excessive wear and tear on the teeth that you still rely on to enjoy meals. When you look into prosthetic dental work, you can find that restoring your smile enables you to bring back better bite support, a change that can improve your quality of life. Our Ankeny, IA dentist’s office can work with you on restoring your full smile by supplying a custom dental bridge. Held in place with dental crowns, a dental bridge is a nonsurgical means of improving a patient’s appearance and also making positive changes to their bite function.
The Effect Bite Problems Can Have On Your Smile
Losing the ability to bite and chew naturally can create problems that become difficult to ignore or avoid. Some people find themselves mentally crossing off items from the list of foods they can still enjoy. Others may find that the awkward bite movements they rely on start to wear down remaining teeth, or put stress on their jaw joints and muscles. Because the teeth at either side of a gap have less support, there is a higher likelihood for you to lose them if no work is done to replace a tooth.
How A Dental Bridge Is Created And Put In Place
Because a dental bridge can stay in place without requiring oral surgery, it can be an effective and less involved means of giving you back your full smile. The bridge stays in place through the use of two dental crowns. Situated on either side of a pontic, or replacement tooth, the crowns make sure that the appliance stays in place even as you put pressure on it by biting and chewing. Because this restoration is made for the individual who will receive it, you can count on it to fit comfortably and provide cosmetic improvements.
What Else Can I Do To Restore My Smile?
Dental implants allow patients to receive custom prosthetic appliances without modifying any of their remaining teeth. Your implant will be set directly in your jawbone. This arrangement allows you to stimulate the bone whenever you bite and chew food, creating a signal for your body to restore the flow of nutrients to the surrounding tissues. That delivery of nutrients helps you avoid bone loss, a problem that affects people after losing teeth.
Talk To Your Ankeny, IA Dentist About Receiving A Dental Bridge
At Dental Impressions, patients can discuss their concerns about the current state of their smile, and learn how the right treatment can help them smile, speak, and eat with renewed confidence! To learn more about our prosthetic services, or other dental treatments we offer, please call our Ankeny, IA dentist’s office at (515) 965-0230.