What Is A Traditional Dental Bridge?
A traditional bridge replaces missing teeth using dental crowns and a natural-looking false tooth. This type of dental restoration can protect your dental health and enhance the appearance of your smile without invasive dental surgery.
How Do Traditional Bridges Work?
Traditional bridgework involves anchoring a false tooth to two healthy teeth to bridge the gap created by a missing tooth or teeth. Your natural teeth adjacent to the gap are called abutment teeth and are used to support the bridge. The false tooth is attached to durable dental crowns that are fixed in place on the abutment teeth.
What Can I Expect When I Get A Dental Bridge?
If your dentist recommends a traditional dental bridge, here’s what you can expect during the process:
- Anesthesia: The dentist will first give you local anesthesia to ensure you are comfortable throughout the procedure
- Preparing abutment teeth: Next, the two abutment teeth are reshaped to accommodate the dental crowns that hold the bridge in place
- Dental impression: Your dentist takes an impression of your bite to create a customized dental bridge that fits your mouth
- Temporary bridge: While the dental lab creates your permanent bridge, the dentist places a temporary bridge to protect the abutment teeth and prepare your mouth for the final step
- Final dental bridge: After a few weeks, your traditional dental bridge is ready for placement. The dentist will remove the temporary bridge, check the fit of the final bridge, and cement it onto the abutment teeth.
It may take a few weeks to acclimate to the new dental bridge. However, if you’re still experiencing discomfort or an awkward bite after that time, contact your dentist.
