If you’ve lost a tooth through trauma, accident or extraction, dental bridges provide a natural-looking solution to effectively fill the gap in your smile. They use crowns fitted on the teeth either side of the gap as support for the replacement tooth, which acts as a bridge in between them. Bridges can boost both your appearance and confidence!
Conventional bridges
A conventional bridge uses crowns placed over the teeth on either side of the gap as support. These teeth, known as abutment teeth, need to be prepared and often require some enamel to be removed. The replacement tooth is attached to bridge the gap and complete your smile.
Adhesive (Maryland) bridges
Adhesive bridges require virtually no drilling of the teeth on either side of the gap to be filled. They can be made with metal or ceramic wings (brackets) glued to hold the false tooth securely in place. They are more cost-effective and much easier than an implant, but they are not suitable for filling every gap.
To begin, we assess your mouth during a consultation, making sure the teeth that will support the bridge are healthy and strong. We are also happy to answer any questions you have about the treatment.
We prepare your teeth by removing a layer of enamel and take digital impressions so your bridge can be custom-made in a dental laboratory. We fit you with a temporary bridge to protect your exposed teeth in the meantime.
When your bridge is ready, we check the fit and make any small adjustments if necessary. We then fix it into place using strong dental adhesive.
To keep your mouth healthy and avoid issues like gum disease or bad breath, you need to clean your bridge every single day. It’s particularly important to clean underneath the false tooth where food can get trapped, so your dentist or hygienist will show you how to use specialised floss or interdental brushes to do so effectively.
If you look after your bridge well, including keeping the surrounding teeth healthy and strong, they should last without issue for over ten years.
Initially, it might take a few days to get used to the feeling of having a full set of teeth again. However, because a bridge closes the gap and restores your natural bite, it actually makes chewing easier and can significantly improve your speech if the missing teeth were affecting your pronunciation.
The treatment process is very comfortable. We use local anaesthetic during the preparation appointment to ensure you don’t feel any pain. Afterwards, your teeth might feel slightly sensitive to temperature for a few days, but this is completely normal and settles down quickly with standard over-the-counter pain relief.
The main alternatives to bridges for replacing missing teeth are partial dentures and dental implants. Bridges are seen as a more secure alternative to partial dentures, as they are fixed into place and will not move or slip. Implants are seen as superior in durability and aesthetics but are more expensive. Bridges can be used in combination with implants to replace more than one missing tooth.
If you’re looking for more information about our dental practice, any of our treatments, to book an appointment, or anything else, please get in touch. Our friendly team is always happy to help. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Closed for lunch 1-2pm
