Tooth loss is a serious oral health concern, one that could impact your daily life in negative ways. But our team can help address this gap and improve the function, health, and beauty of your smile. In today’s blog, your Ankeny, IA, dentist talks about treating tooth loss with a dental bridge.
The Causes and Risks of a Lost Tooth
How do you lose one or more of your natural teeth? Losing a tooth could be the result of injury to the face or jaw, or even due to advanced tooth decay or dental infection. You could also lose a tooth to issues like periodontal disease, as periodontitis is the main cause of missing teeth in adulthood.
When you lose teeth, even as few as one, this could alter the position of nearby teeth and cause misalignment, impacting your appearance further and leaving you vulnerable to issues like tooth decay and gum disease. The stress on your bite could cause issues like TMJ disorder and even bruxism (teeth grinding). If you have a larger gap in your smile, this could lead to issues with meals or even clear speech!
Creating and Placing a Bridge
To help treat minor tooth loss, our team could create and place a custom dental bridge. The prosthetic will handle between one missing tooth or as many as two to three in a row. To begin the process, we will numb the abutment teeth on each side of the gap and then remove structure from them, accommodating the crown portions of your new prosthetic. We then take detailed images and measurements with intraoral cameras, using these in a lab setting to design and craft your new dental prosthetic.
The completed prosthetic is made from ceramic, and can be color-matched to offer a more natural appearance. The ceramic material can also handle daily bite forces and pressures, creating structure that can last for years to come and handle the pressures of meals and speech.
Keeping Your Smile Full
When your bridge is finally ready, we will attach the crown portions to the abutment teeth to secure your new teeth in place for years to come. With daily brushing and flossing and a healthy diet, you can protect your natural teeth and help ensure your bridge can truly last. If you have any questions about how our team diagnoses and treats issues like tooth loss with a dental bridge, or if you are ready to see us to start the process, then reach out to our office today to learn more and get started!
Dental Impressions Provides Custom Dental Prosthetics
If you have lost one or more teeth, then talk to our team about lifelike dental prosthetics. To schedule an appointment and address missing teeth, then call Dental Impressions in Ankeny, IA today at (515) 965-0230.
