St. Cloud Dental Bridges

What is a bridge and what is it used for?

Many people put off replacing missing teeth due to the busyness of life, cost, or fear of pain and commitment. However, putting off tooth replacement can lead to increased dental damage. Missing teeth not only cause a lack of confidence, but can also lead to issues with biting, chewing capabilities, as well as jaw and tooth deterioration from uneven pressure. However, many people do not realize that dental bridges provide a superior fit and match to replace one or more missing teeth. These fixed bridges are composed of multiple crowns put on both sides of the missing section of teeth in order to support one, or a row, of false teeth, also called pontics.

The Fixed Bridge Process

The bridge implanting process may seem scary; however, with improved dental technology and local anesthetics, the process is minimal-pain with quick recovery times. First, two of the healthy teeth on either side of the missing teeth are smoothed down on the top and side to prepare for the bridge. Once that is complete, your dentist will take full molds of your mouth in order to determine the precise fit for your bridge, from which the dental lab will then fabricate the bridge. You will likely not receive your custom bridge from the dental lab same-day, but rather you will be sent home with a temporary bridge while the permanent bridge is being fabricated.