Marcel Dental Medical Specialist

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Having missing teeth is never a good thing. It can make it hard to chew, influence your speech, and cause embarrassment. But, if you have missing teeth, then a dental bridge could be the solution you need. At Marcel Dental Medical Specialist, we excel at recreating a smile that looks beautiful and natural.

A dental bridge is a fixed dental prosthetic. It’s one of many options that a dentist can choose to replace missing teeth Dental bridges are great at filling in teeth for smiles with partial tooth loss. As the name implies, a bridge forms a connection between healthy teeth. This connection is a dental prosthetic that looks like your natural teeth. So the bridge will fill in any missing tooth gaps.

If the teeth on both sides of your tooth gap are healthy, you’re an excellent bridge candidate. Strong teeth that can support the bridge will have dental crowns placed over them. These crowns will serve as an anchor to hold up the gum base and new tooth.

There are both functional and cosmetic reasons benefits to getting a bridge. Dental bridges can:

• Restore a beautiful smile
• Restore chewing and speaking
• Help to maintain the natural shape of your unique face
• Equally distribute your bite forces through the teeth replacement
• Prevent your remaining teeth from drifting out of position
• Fill in missing teeth gaps
• Provide and upgrade from partial dentures    

Dr.  Perry Marcel will discuss the differences between bridges and dentures during your consultation. A significant difference between the two is that dentures are removable and, because of this removability, there is a high risk of instability. Anything that can be removed runs the risk of becoming loose or even popping out. Many patients with active lifestyles prefer a bridge due to their stability.

While not permanent, with proper care, many patients report their bridges last 15 years or longer. An essential factor to note is that bridge stability comes from your anchor teeth with the crowns. So it’s vital to keep these natural teeth healthy. The best way to do this is to be consistent with your oral hygiene and dental checkups.

Getting your bridge is a two-visit process. During the first visit, the teeth are numbed. Then the dentist will prep the two anchoring teeth by removing a small portion of the enamel. The removal is necessary to allow enough space for the crown. Next, an impression mold is taken and sent to the dental lab to make the bridge. The dentist will provide a temporary bridge while the bridge is at the lab.

At the second visit, the dentist will check and make any necessary adjustments and then cement the permanent bridge in place. In some cases, our dentist might temporarily cement the bridge before permanently doing it to allow for an adjustment period.

Your comfort and experience are a top priority at Marcel Dental Medical Specialist. Your dentist will use a local anesthetic to numb the treatment areas. This numbing will ensure there is no pain while providing comfort during treatment. Our office also offers sedation dentistry for your comfort for patients with anxiety or fears.