When you lose a tooth, this causes a gap to form in your smile. The gap could mean a number of serious complications for your smile’s function and appearance. But we can help preserve your smile by placing a custom dental prosthetic, one that looks natural too. In today’s blog, your Lake Orion, MI, dentist talks about our porcelain bridges.
The Need for a Dental Prosthetic
When you lose natural teeth, you should see us right away for a prosthetic. Otherwise, your gap could allow nearby teeth to shift, which increases the risk of tooth decay and gum disease, and changes the appearance of your smile too. Then pressure on your jaw joints due to gaps in your smile could make the onset of TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding) much more likely too. You may have issues eating a variety of different foods, and speaking clearly could be complicated too. Your jawbone will also gradually weaken, as the body stops sending doses of calcium and phosphorus to the areas around the missing roots, which could mean further tooth loss and eventually, an older appearance. But with a bridge, our team can help you enjoy a full smile again!
Replacement in One Visit
The prosthetic itself is made from porcelain, a very strong material that can be shaded to blend with your smile and handle daily bite forces too. Instead of requiring two to three visits to complete, we can use the CEREC system to design and fabricate them in one visit. To begin, we will numb the teeth on each side of your smile and then remove a small amount of structure. We gather detailed digital images and impressions, and use them to design it. We then fabricate it with an onsite milling machine, which creates your custom option. We will color match it to blend with your smile seamlessly.
Securing Your New Smile
For traditional bridges, we will connect the crowns to the abutment teeth, the ones we removed structure from, which supports your new teeth firmly. This option can also about 10 to 15 years, requiring removal and replacement as the jaw ridge changes shape. We could also insert one or more biocompatible dental implants into the arch, which saves natural tooth structure and prevents changes to the jaw ridge, so your prosthetic can stay in place for decades, possibly a lifetime.
If you have any questions about how we treat your minor tooth loss with a bridge, or about which option is right for you, then contact our team today to learn more.
TALK TO YOUR LAKE ORION, MI, DENTIST ABOUT OUR PORCELAIN PROSTHETIC
A dental bridge can help you enjoy a full and functional smile again with a dental bridge. Find out more about our custom prosthetics by contacting Lake Orion Family Dentistry at (248)693-6213!
