Restorative dental techniques have come a long way in recent decades, especially when it comes to replacing missing or extracted teeth. So how do you know when to choose a dental bridge? Take a few moments to learn more.
When you have missing teeth, the right replacement option plays an essential role in restoring your smile and preserving your oral health. One popular solution involves a dental bridge, which uses other teeth in your mouth to support your replacement tooth.
At Chester Family Dentistry in Warren, Ohio, our team specializes in cutting-edge dental treatments that repair damaged, broken, or missing teeth. Here are five reasons to consider a dental bridge.
1. You Have Several Missing Teeth
Approximately 69% of Americans between 35 and 44 years of age are missing at least one tooth. And, unfortunately, by age 74, about 25% have lost all their adult teeth.
Whether you’re missing one tooth or several, a dental bridge uses your surrounding teeth to hold the replacement tooth in place. This fills ― or bridges ― the empty gap in your mouth with artificial teeth.
As a result, bridges offer an advantage if you have more than one consecutive tooth in your mouth to replace.
2. Your Oral Health
Dental implants also offer spectacular tooth replacement options. This restorative solution involves anchoring a surgical post in the jaw to support the replacement tooth. However, it also requires adequate amounts of healthy jawbone for successful implantation.
Since we attach a dental bridge to your surrounding teeth, it doesn’t rely on the health of your jawbone.
Plus, you can still rely on dental crowns even if you have fillings or decay in your surrounding teeth. That’s because we can correct these problems and strengthen the support teeth by covering them with dental crowns before securing your bridge in place.
3. Your Overall Health
Believe it or not, your overall health also plays a role in choosing the right tooth replacement solution. That’s because certain medical conditions, like leukemia or diabetes, can interfere with the healing process.
Since getting a dental bridge doesn’t require oral surgery or healing, you can safely restore your smile even if you have an underlying health problem.
4. You Want Quick Solutions
Since a dental implant fuses permanently to your jawbone, it provides permanent tooth replacement solutions. However, it also means you have to wait for the implant to fully heal around the post, a process that can take up to six months.
If you want fast results, nothing beats a dental bridge. You can usually expect to complete the entire process within a few weeks, and it only takes two office visits.
5. You Want Lower Initial Costs
Another big factor with choosing a dental bridge involves upfront cost.
The overall price tag for getting a dental bridge is usually less than what you’ll see with an implant. And dental insurance likely covers a portion of the costs associated with getting a dental bridge.
However, it’s important to note that bridges typically last approximately 10 years, compared with the permanent results you can expect from an implant.
So, you can usually expect lower initial costs when choosing a bridge, but dental implants can provide more cost-effective long-term solutions.
At the end of the day, the best way to decide whether a dental bridge is best for you involves a consultation with an experienced provider. No matter which tooth replacement solution you choose, you can rest assured that our experienced team will send you home with a smile you love.
To learn more about your tooth replacement options, schedule a consultation with Chester Family Dentistry by calling us at 330-505-9668 today.
