Charlotte Dental Bridges
You may not be aware of the effect of missing teeth on your dental health. Not only does a missing tooth leaves space in your gums vulnerable to infection, but it also affects daily function. At Engel Dental Center, we understand the importance of teeth in all aspects of life. We offer dental bridges to correct tooth loss, so you can leave our office with a healthy, restored smile.
What Is a Dental Bridge?
Tooth loss occurs for several reasons, including age, injury, and poor dental hygiene. To keep your mouth functioning correctly, replacing lost teeth is essential. Dental bridges, or “fixed bridges,” work by replacing your missing teeth with artificial ones called pontics.
Leaving tooth loss unaddressed allows the remaining teeth to shift, increasing the risk of tooth decay or even the loss of more teeth. Dental bridges prevent this, replacing missing teeth and protecting your mouth from potentially serious oral health issues.
Benefits of a Dental Bridge
The ideal candidate for a dental bridge is missing one or more teeth, with healthy teeth on both sides of the gap. A dental bridge:
- Fills in gaps in your mouth
- Maintains correct bite positioning
- Prevents movement of remaining teeth
- Preserves dental health
- Supports your ability to chew and speak
- Helps retain face shape
Bridges allow you to enjoy life with few restrictions. They mimic your natural teeth, and their high success rate and longevity make them ideal for our patients with missing teeth.
Attaching a Bridge to Your Teeth
Creating and attaching the dental bridge typically takes two appointments. During your first appointment, one of our highly trained dentists prepares your natural abutment teeth by removing some of the enamel. Since bridges require precise construction, we then take impressions of your teeth and send them to the lab for fabrication.
Once the completed bridge arrives at our office, we use dental cement to bond the bridge to the abutment teeth. We cement crowns to the abutment teeth to provide support for the fixed bridge.
In some cases, your natural teeth may not be able to support a permanent bridge. In that case, we offer dental implants.
We place implants in your jaw, allowing time for the post to fuse with the bone. Once the implant fuses and heals fully, it provides a permanent, secure base for the bridge.
Caring for Your Dental Bridge
Caring for your dental bridge is much like caring for your natural teeth. Brushing and flossing daily, both around and under the bridge, keep your teeth free of plaque and other buildup. Keeping the neighboring teeth and gums clean and healthy is essential because the dental bridge relies on the surrounding teeth to remain in place.
To prevent damage to the dental bridge, we also recommend avoiding hard, crunchy, or sticky foods.
Dental Bridges in Charlotte, NC
If you’ve lost your smile because of missing teeth, Engel Dental Center should be your choice for dental bridges in Charlotte, NC, and surrounding areas. Call us today at 704-395-5588, and discover how Charlotte dental bridges restore the functionality of your mouth.
