Dental Bridges in Cleveland, TN

Dental bridges are custom-made restorations designed to fill spaces left by missing teeth, providing both aesthetic and functional benefits. According to the American College of Prosthodontists, an estimated 178 million people in the United States have at least one missing tooth. Gaps in your smile can immediately impact your appearance and your ability to eat and speak as you once did. Additionally, failing to replace missing teeth can result in more serious oral health issues in the future. Dental bridges offer a way to replace missing teeth quickly and reliably, treating immediate concerns and preventing long-term problems.

What Are Dental Bridges?

Dental bridges are a tried and true solution for replacing missing teeth. Essentially, a dental bridge fills the gap created by one or more missing teeth with a row of artificial teeth. It’s a prosthetic device anchored by your natural teeth or supported by dental implants. While bridges do enhance your smile’s look, their main purpose is restorative. They play a crucial role in maintaining your oral health, ensuring that your remaining teeth don’t shift out of place.

Benefits of Dental Bridges

Dental bridges offer several benefits, making them a popular choice among patients. Bridges are remarkable in their ability to:

• Restore functionality: Dental bridges enable you to chew and speak properly, restoring the functionality lost with missing teeth.
• Enhance aesthetics: We customize bridges to match the color, shape, and size of your natural teeth, ensuring a natural look. As a result, they can improve the appearance of your smile, boosting your confidence and self-esteem.
• Prevent misalignment: By filling gaps, dental bridges prevent the remaining teeth from shifting. This prevents bite issues from developing.
• Improve speech: When you lose even one tooth, pronouncing words properly can be difficult. Bridges fill the gaps responsible for pronunciation challenges, allowing you to express yourself clearly.
• Distribute bite forces: The prosthetic distributes bite forces more evenly across the dental arch, reducing stress on remaining natural teeth.

Additionally, dental bridges can last many years with proper care, making them a cost-effective solution.

Types of Bridges

There are various types of dental bridges that cater to different needs and circumstances. At your free consultation, we’ll evaluate your needs and recommend the best solution.

Traditional and Cantilever Bridges

A traditional bridge uses two healthy teeth to support the replacement tooth, the same way two pieces of land support a highway bridge between them. On each end of the bridge is a dental crown. These fit over the adjacent natural teeth. To ensure the crowns fit snugly, we will shave down a small portion of your tooth’s enamel. Once the proper fit is achieved, we will cement the bridge, fixing it in place. A cantilever bridge is very similar, though we use this type when there is only one healthy tooth that can support the bridge.

Maryland Bridges

A Maryland bridge is another type of tooth-supported bridge. However, it is a more conservative option, as it doesn’t require enamel removal. This is because the bridge has metal wings connected to the replacement tooth instead of crowns. We bond this framework to the back side of your teeth. While this option is excellent for front teeth, it is not strong enough to replace back teeth like molars.

Implant-Supported Dental Bridges

For superior solutions, we provide bridges anchored by mini dental implants. To place an implant-supported bridge, we apply a local anesthetic to ensure a pain-free experience. Then, we drill small pilot holes into the jawbone to make room for the mini implants. We’ll secure the implants into these holes before attaching the bridge.

Two remarkable features of mini dental implants are their minimally invasive procedure and immediate strength. By utilizing this innovative technology, we can replace missing teeth promptly while ensuring a swift recovery and long-lasting results.

Additional Benefits of Implant-Supported Bridges

When you lose a tooth and don’t fill the empty socket, you may experience shifting teeth, gum disease due to bacteria accumulation, and jawbone deterioration. Filling the empty socket with a dental implant or mini dental implant replaces the missing root, restoring the entire tooth’s function. This ensures that your jawbone continues to receive essential stimulation, your teeth remain in their proper positions, and your gums are better protected against infection. Additionally, implant-supported bridges offer enhanced security, improved biting power, and increased durability. These advantages stem from their fusion with the jawbone, eliminating the reliance on other teeth.

Complete Your Smile With a Dental Bridge

Dental bridges are a reliable, effective solution for replacing missing teeth. They restore functionality, enhance aesthetics, and prevent potential dental issues. At The Mini Dental Implant Center of America in Cleveland, TN, we’re committed to guiding you through the journey of restoring your smile with the best dental care possible.

Remember, a confident smile can open doors to new opportunities and experiences. If you’re considering dental bridges, we encourage you to schedule a free consultation with us. Let us help you take the first step towards a brighter, more confident smile.

Frequently Asked Questions