- 28260 N Tatum Blvd a2 | Cave Creek AZ 85331
Discover dental bridges in Cave Creek AZ to restore your smile and improve oral health. Contact Pro-Dental Care for personalized expert care.
Missing a tooth in a row of teeth can interfere with both your ability to speak and eat. Without an equal amount of pressure from all sides, the teeth where a gap is present may eventually become crooked with nothing to hold them securely in place. The unequal distribution of forces in your mouth when you eat, speak, and bite down can also affect your other teeth and even, potentially the shape of your face and lips.
A bridge is a fixed dental restoration that replaces one or more missing teeth. It comprises two crowns for the teeth on either side of the gap and an artificial tooth/set of teeth in between. The false teeth are called pontics, made of gold, alloys, porcelain, or a combination of these materials. Crowns over natural teeth or implants support dental bridges.
There are a variety of different dental bridge techniques designed to address different needs:
Cantilever Bridge: Like a traditional bridge, a cantilever bridge uses a dental crown to support a pontic. However, it differs because it only attaches to one natural tooth adjacent to the gap rather than both sides. This type of bridge is used when only one suitable abutment tooth is available.
Maryland Bridge: For front teeth, the Maryland bonded dental bridge is the recommended technique if there’s only room for one crown or anchor, a cantilever dental bridge may be used if space is at a premium. The Maryland bridges are similar to traditional bridges, but they are held in place by metal or porcelain wings on the sides of the bridge that are bonded to the backs of the abutment teeth.
Implant-Supported Bridge: Dental implants rather than natural teeth support an implant-supported bridge. Dental implants are small titanium posts implanted in the jawbone. They act as anchors for the crowns that support the bridge.
As you can see, dental bridges are made in a variety of materials and can be colored to match the color of your own teeth as closely as possible. Once affixed, they generally don’t require any more extra care of your mouth than normal brushing or flossing which is a part of good dental hygiene.