Frequent questions about dental bridges
Our dental office is located five minutes from Largo Mall in Largo, FL. Being located in the heart of the community, we are frequently visited by people that are new to our office and who have lots of questions about our services.
With our more seasoned visitors, we frequently get asked about dental bridges and bridge maintenance. Some of the most frequent questions we receive are:
What is a bridge and do I need one?
A bridge is a piece of dental work that looks like your normal teeth. It’s it designed to make it look like your missing teeth and be fully functional regarding your ability to talk, chew and eat. The bridge work does need to be anchored on either side. The anchors are usually the individual teeth that are on either side of the missing ones.
What is I don’t have good teeth on either side of a gap?
In some cases, a bridge can be anchored on only one side. This is called a cantilever bridge.
Will I need root canals?
Many times, the teeth adjacent to problem areas are still healthy. This means we should be able to place a bridge without needing to perform root canals on nearby teeth. But, installing a bridge means removing part of the adjacent teeth in order to install crowns (“Caps”), which will anchor the bridgework.
My buddy got a bridge but didn’t need caps. How is that possible?
There are a coule bridge techniques that do not require crowns to be placed on the teeth adjacent to a gap. One technique is called a “bonded” bridge. Bonded bridges are usually a little less expensive than traditional bridges, but have a tendency to be less strong. Whether this option is a good choice is a personal decision and should include advice from a dentist who is very familiar with your situation.
A more common solution is to have a dental implant placed that can serve as the other anchor to the bridge. Bone actually starts to grow around the implant to make it even more secure.
Are bridges permanent?
Bridges usually last many years, frequently over ten years.. Each personal situation is different because everybody has a different combination of dental health and teeth structure. Your dentist can help to put together a picture of how your expectations should be set.
Our friendly dedicated staff greets you by name and with a warm smile. Dr. Maher Rashid, Dr. Murad Rashid, and our entire team of experienced dental professionals are committed to treating you with respect, personal attention and a higher level of care that comes from decades of combined dental experience. At Dolphin Dental Group, we take the time to listen because there is simply no better way to ensure you get the gentle care and beautiful smile you deserve.
We would like to be your dentist office. Please Contact Us to let us show you how much we care about our patients.
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