If you have lost a tooth, then you may feel uncomfortable with your appearance. But we can help fill the gap and also protect your smile from major complications! In today’s blog, your Ankeny, IA, dentist talks about how we address minor tooth loss with a natural-looking dental bridge!
The Factors Behind a Missing Tooth
What causes a smile to lose a tooth? We could end up with a gap in our smile due to numerous factors, including advanced tooth decay, an untreated infection, or even an injury to the face or jaw. Gum disease, or more accurately the periodontitis stage, is the most common cause of adult tooth loss. When you lose a tooth, even just one, this gap could cause teeth to drift, creating misalignment that alters your appearance further. The gap could also impact how you eat and speak, and could make you feel uncomfortable and even increase the risk of complications like TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding). But we can fill the gap with a bridge, which can address a single missing tooth or as many as three in a row, so you can feel confident and avoid long-term oral health complications too!
The Creation of a Dental Bridge
If we find that a bridge is the best choice for you, then our team will begin by numbing the abutment teeth, the natural teeth on each side of the gap in your smile. Our team will remove structure from these teeth to accommodate the crown portions of your new prosthetic, and we then take images and impressions of them with digital imaging technology. In a lab setting, we use these digital images and measurements to design and create your new prosthetic. The prosthetic is made from ceramic, which can endure daily bite forces with ease, and also be color-matched to ensure a lifelike appearance that blends with the rest of your smile. The prosthetic will contain new teeth, known as pontics, with crowns attached to one or both ends.
Securing Your New Prosthetic
When your new teeth are ready, our team will connect the crown portions to the abutment teeth with a powerful bonding agent, which secures them firmly in place. You then have a full smile, with results that can last 10 to 15 years on average. We will discuss how to properly care for your new teeth to ensure they can last and stay in place for years to come. If you have any questions about how we treat tooth less with a bridge, then reach out to us today to learn more! You deserve a full smile, and we are ready to help.
Dental Impressions Secures Your Dental Bridge
For a dental prosthetic that tackles minor tooth loss, we can secure new teeth. To schedule an appointment and take on your missing tooth, then call Dental Impressions in Ankeny, IA today at (515) 965-0230.
