The Pros and Cons of Dental Bridges

A dental bridge is a dental restoration for missing teeth. It is a row of artificial teeth that attaches to existing teeth or dental implants. They “bridge” the gap between healthy teeth. A dental bridge consists of different components. The most basic are the abutments, pontics, and the bridge.

The abutments are what support the bridge where the crowns fit. Pontics are the artificial teeth that make up dental bridges. For every missing tooth, you will have a pontic that looks similar in shape and size to the missing tooth.

Bridges are from a variety of materials, but the common material is porcelain. It is because it aesthetically blends with your natural teeth.

Pros of Dental Bridges

Bridges have several benefits. However, the biggest benefits are:

• Restore Ability to Speak

With some teeth missing, it may be hard to enunciate some words. Filling in the gaps will alter the tongue’s placement. It restores the ability to speak normally.

• Restoring the Ability to Chew

With missing teeth, it is hard to chew different consistencies of food properly. Some food needs the use of canines, while other kinds of food need molars. It can make it hard to enjoy your food. However, bridges restore the ability to chew properly and efficiently. It allows you to enjoy your meal.

• Maintain Facial Structure

When you have missing teeth, it can lead to loss of bone density in the jaw. When the jawbone shrinks, it can make you look like you have sunken cheeks or jowls. Dental bridges help slow down and stop this process, protecting the jawbone and maintaining facial structure.

• Restore Your Natural Look and Smile

Once you are comfortable with your dental bridges, they blend perfectly with your natural look and smile. It prevents you from looking like you are aging prematurely.

• Prevent Filling Space

When adjacent teeth fill up the space, it causes problems with gums. It can also cause the teeth to rearrange and cause an issue with biting. The teeth can also become loose. It leads to the loss of more teeth.

Cons of Dental Bridges

There are also some disadvantages to having bridges. They include:

• Crowns That Do Not Fit

If the crowns do not fit, they can allow food and bacteria to get inside and cause tooth decay. It can then cause the weakening of the abutment teeth. When the abutment teeth are weak, they cannot hold up the bridge, leading to collapse.

When the abutment teeth succumb to damage, you will have to replace them with dental implants. Dental implants are quite expensive.

• Crowns Affect Bite

When the crowns fit in, they may affect the structure of your teeth. It may force the teeth adjacent to the abutment teeth to move. It then affects your bite.

• Loss of Jawbone

Bridges do not connect to the jawbone. They lie on top of it. They also have no bone grafting work, making the jawbone weak. It also continues to weaken and shrink.

• Not Long Lasting

Implants can last a lifetime. They sink into the jawbone and fuse with it. The life span of dental bridges is five to fifteen years.

For more information on dental bridges, visit Clarity Dental Center for Implant and Family Dentistry at our office in Federal Way, Washington. You can also call (253) 799-1490 to schedule an appointment today.