Dental Bridges

How Does a Dental Bridge Work?

The condition of your oral health affects what dental restoration is right for you. Your Carlsbad dentist will examine your mouth to determine if you are a good candidate for a dental bridge. If this repair is appropriate, the treatment will proceed like this:

• Prep: Dental bridges are held in place with clasps that attach to the healthy teeth on either side of the hole in your smile, so these teeth must be prepped for the procedure.
• Impressions: Your dentist will take impressions of your teeth so there is a blueprint to provide to the dental lab that creates the dental bridge.
• Restoration: The dental bridge is permanently secured in place. Dental crowns are attached to the neighboring teeth to anchor the bridge.

The entire dental bridge restoration is permanent and created using high-quality materials that look natural and function just like your regular teeth.

Why You Must Replace Missing Teeth

When you are missing a prominent front tooth, getting it replaced is an easy decision. You don’t want your smile to be marred by this large gap. For people who have one missing molar in the back of their mouth, though, the absence of a tooth may not seem like a big deal. After all, the hole is not very noticeable and doesn’t really impact your oral health - or so it seems.

Every tooth in your mouth has a job to do and, if one is missing - no matter its location - other teeth will overcompensate for the absence of a tooth and your oral health will be negatively affected. This leads to greater wear and tear and additional oral health problems that must be addressed, like:

• Shifting teeth: The teeth on either side of a missing tooth will shift, or float, to fill in the empty space. This can cause additional tooth gaps, tissue damage, and misalignment.
• Difficulty eating: The absence of a tooth might not seem like it could get in the way of eating, but that space will make biting and chewing difficult and frustrating, especially when food settles in the space.
• Trouble speaking: Certain teeth will affect articulation and diction, which means every time you talk the absence of your tooth will be that much more noticeable.
• Altered face shape: Every tooth in your mouth has the important job of supporting the jawbone in its unique little space. When a tooth is missing, the jawbone is unstimulated and, eventually, the face of your shape could sink in that area, aging you.

Cost Factors of Dental Bridges

A dental bridge is a relatively straightforward procedure with consistent components. If you choose this restoration from your Carlsbad dentist, cost factors will include:

• The number of teeth being replaced
• Location of the dental restoration
• Materials used
• Dental lab used
• Other procedures needed to stabilize oral health
• Location of the dental office

At Ida Alfonso Dental Arts, we accept a wide range of dental insurance and offer affordable financing plans through CareCredit and Lending Club. We work with all our patients to identify the most comfortable payment solution so you can get the oral health care you need.

Get a Dental Bridge from Carlsbad Dentist Near Me

One missing tooth may not seem like a big deal, but it kickstarts the instability of a person’s entire oral health. Don’t let your self-esteem or smile suffer with a problem that is easily solved with a dental bridge. Contact Ida Alfonso Dental Arts to schedule a consultation and find out what the right dental restoration is for your smile.