Too many people have too many missing teeth for too long. There are myriad ways in which teeth can be lost: accidents, assaults, infections, tooth decay, and more. Some people who only lose one or a few teeth choose to live without replacing those teeth. That decision may be the result of dental anxiety, concerns about the cost of replacing teeth, or even uncertainty about the best way to replace a couple teeth when you still have most of your teeth.
Common as the choice to live with a couple or few missing teeth may be, it’s a choice that comes at significant costs: your remaining teeth will gradually shift and twist out of position and alignment to fill the gaps left behind; many of your favourite foods and meals may eventually be out of reach such that your diet and health may change; and you’ll be forever conscious of and anxious about the gaps in your smile.
For people for whom partial dentures and individual implants are not attractive options — but who understandably don’t want to pay the ongoing price of tooth loss — dental bridges from a dentist in Waterloo may be the ideal solution. This is an introduction to the four types of available dental bridges near you and how they can solve your dental needs.
Traditional dental
bridges
Traditional dental bridges in Waterloo fill gaps in your jaw by holding artificial teeth in position in a structure anchored on abutment teeth beside the gap in your smile. Those replacement teeth are called pontics. Dental crowns that fit over the modified abutment teeth hold the bridge structure and the attached pontics in position. To receive those crowns and to support the bridge, your abutment teeth need to be modified by the removal of a thin layer of enamel. The need to modify natural healthy teeth to replace missing teeth is the downside of this traditional alternative.
Cantilever bridges
A cantilever bridge works
in almost exactly the same way as a traditional bridge, except that cantilever
bridges use one or more crowns on just
one side of the gap being filled rather than both sides. As a result,
cantilever bridges share the weakness of traditional bridges (the need to
modify healthy teeth) and are weaker than traditional bridges because they are
supported only on one side of the gap.
Resin-supported bridges
Resin-supported bridges and the next option work differently than traditional and cantilever bridges in that they don’t rely on dental crowns at all. Resin-supported bridges support one or more pontics in a structure similar to that used in traditional and cantilever bridges but attach to the rear of the abutment teeth using special dental resins. Resin-supported bridges lack the stability of a bridge that relies on dental crowns, so they’re more appropriate for replacing missing teeth in the front of your mouth rather than replacing molars that are exposed to the highest biting and chewing pressures.
Implant-supported
bridges
Implant-supported bridges
are a game-changer. The three alternatives discussed above feature varying
levels of stability and are, in fact, very stable and effective. Having said
that, there is no alternative as stable, strong or durable as an
implant-supported bridge. What makes them so stable? The fact that the bridge
is held in place by implants rooted directly into your jaw. The bridge does not
rely on modified natural teeth or the strength of dental resin but by the
anatomical structure of your jaw itself. Implant-supported bridges are the most
expensive alternative on this list and require the most complex dental
procedures but offer the most natural, durable and long-lasting solution for
replacing missing teeth.
If you’re missing some teeth and are concerned about the mounting health, functional and lifestyle cost of living without all your teeth, ask a dentist near you if a dental bridge might solve those problems.
Comments
Post a Comment