4 Questions About Getting A Dental Bridge

A dental bridge is a way to replace your missing teeth by anchoring fake teeth to your real teeth. If you need to get a dental bridge, you likely have these questions about them.

Can You Remove A Dental Bridge?

What makes a dental bridge different from dentures is that the dental bridge is going to be permanently attached to your mouth. There is no way to remove it once it is in place since it is bonded to the surrounding teeth with dental cement. The fixed nature of the dental bridge means that you need to care for the dental bridge a bit differently. Even though they are artificial teeth, the area around them is still susceptible to gum disease. 

Are The Anchor Teeth Permanently Altered?

One of the requirements of a dental bridge is that it needs to be attached to natural teeth. Those teeth also need to be healthy and capable of supporting the bridge. This means that those healthy teeth will need to be altered in order to fit a crown on top of them as an anchor crown. While it may not be ideal, it is the only way to support the artificial teeth without using an implant or partial dentures. 

How Many Healthy Teeth Are Needed For A Dental Bridge?

A dental bridge can be used to replace one or several missing teeth. However, two healthy teeth are needed on both sides of the bridge, and a longer bridge will need healthier teeth capable of supporting it. Any tooth that already has a crown, root canal, or large filling may not have the strength necessary to support a bridge. If it is attempted, that tooth runs the risk of breaking.

Be aware that a dental bridge may not be possible if you do not have healthy teeth to support it. Your dentist can place a dental implant in your mouth to act as one of the anchors if necessary.

What Happens If An Anchor Tooth Fails?

If you run into a problem where one of your healthy anchor teeth ends up having a problem, such as needing a root canal or losing the tooth, the whole bridge will need to be removed. It may be possible to put in a new bridge that is anchored to the next healthy tooth, but it also requires a whole new bridge to be created as well. 

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