Don’t put off replacing your missing teeth. Instead, explore dental bridges in Ellington from Zahner Dental. Lifelike and strong, dental bridges span gaps left by one, two or more teeth in a row lost to oral trauma, dental decay or periodontal disease. Bridges are a traditional tooth replacement option and can restore oral function and aesthetics if dental implants are not the right treatment choice.
Should You Replace Missing Teeth?
After a tooth is extracted or knocked out and cannot be saved, some people question the need to fill the space left behind. The expense, extra dental appointments, more complex brushing and flossing–why be bothered by all that?
The answer, say Drs. Warren, Shawn and Jonathan Zahner, is simple: you need to preserve your facial appearance and your oral health and function. Let’s face it: a smile gap just looks unattractive, particularly if it’s right in the front of your mouth. Also, remaining teeth adjacent to a smile gap lose a lot of their strength and tend to drift to fill in the empty space. So, your dental health suffers additional injury. The ability to bite and chew effectively changes as well.
Tooth replacement can help your smile stay youthful-looking and complete. It also benefits long-term dental health.
While today’s most popular and efficient tooth replacement is the dental implant, or an implant-retained full or partial denture or fixed bridgework, not everyone qualifies to receive one. Perhaps it’s a family budget issue, or more commonly, the jaw bone is not healthy enough or dense enough to accept an implant device. Other oral health or systemic health problems may prohibit or postpone dental implant placement. So, a good choice can be the traditional dental bridge.
What is a Dental Bridge?
A dental bridge is one or more artificial teeth (pontics) in a row. They are anchored to adjoining teeth on both sides of the smile gap by porcelain crowns. Dr. Zahner crafts both the pontics and the crowns with amazing CEREC (Chairside Economic Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic) technology. In fact, you can walk into Zahner Dental and get your bridgework designed, fabricated and placed all in one appointment.
Dr. Zahner uses CAD/CAM (Computer-aided Design/ Computer-aided Manufacturing) to take a digital impression and design your crowns and pontics. The chairside milling machine uses beautiful dental porcelain to mill the bridgework in about 15 to 20 minutes. When complete, the prosthetic is polished, adjusted and bonded permanently in place.
Caring for a CEREC bridge is just like caring for your natural teeth. Simply brush twice a day with a soft brush and floss daily around the appliance to keep it free from plaque and tartar. Your new bridgework should last ten years or more with good at-home hygiene and in-office care every six months with Dr. Zahner.
Should You Get a Dental Bridge?
Discuss your tooth replacement options with your dentist. Dr. Zahner has the advanced credentials and experience to guide your oral health. Contact Zahner Dental today to set up a consultation.