If you have missing teeth, even a very minor case, we can help with dental bridges. These custom dental prosthetics can take on minor tooth loss and keep smiles strong and beautiful for years to come. In today’s blog, Dental Impressions in Ankeny, IA, talks about treating tooth loss with dental bridges.
What Happens When You Lose a Tooth
What happens to your smile once you lose a tooth? Without the tooth, the open space in your smile will allow nearby teeth to drift from position, which can lead to misalignment and additional negative changes to your smile’s health, stability, and appearance. At the same time, the lack of a tooth root means the jawbone itself can weaken and erode. Losing a tooth could also impact how you eat or speak, or even lead to issues with self-confidence. But we can help with a dental bridge, or even a partial denture, to help restore your smile!
Dental Bridges
A dental bridge helps secure one to three new teeth in a row, taking on minor tooth loss and restoring your smile. We start by numbing the abutment teeth, which sits on each side of the gap in your smile. We then remove structure from them and take detailed digital images of the prepared teeth and the open space. In a dental lab setting, we use the information we gathered to design and craft a dental prosthetic. The completed prosthetic will contain new teeth with crowns attached to each end, all made from ceramic, which is durable and able to be color-matched for a lifelike appearance. We then attach the crown portions to the abutment teeth to secure your prosthetic for years to come.
Dental implants could also be used to secure them, which helps strengthen the jawbone and allows them to last even longer!
Partial Dentures
If you have multiple open spaces in your smile due to more severe tooth loss, this could be too much to be tackled with a dental prosthetic. In this situation, we will instead recommend a removable partial denture. The prosthetic will contain multiple ceramic teeth set in a base that looks like gum tissue. When the denture is secured, this fills all the spaces at once, so your remaining natural teeth cannot drift and your smile stays whole and beautiful. Clasps will attach to natural teeth to keep the denture in place, and it can last about 5 to 10 years on average.
If you have any questions about bridges and partial dentures, then contact our team today.
Dental Impressions Treats Your Missing Teeth
We want to help address the open spaces in your smile with precision. To schedule an appointment and take on tooth loss, then call Dental Impressions in Ankeny, IA today at (515) 965-0230.
