There are pros and cons about everything, even dental treatments. For instance, while a dental bridge is a great way to replace a missing tooth, to place a bridge, the adjacent healthy teeth need to be ground down to accommodate crown placement. However, there are instances when a 3-unit dental bridge may not only replace the missing tooth, but it may also benefit the adjacent teeth. It’s in such cases that a dental bridge may be right for you.
Dental Bridges
Under certain circumstances, a dental bridge can serve more than replacing a missing tooth. If you have one missing tooth, but one or both of the adjacent teeth are also damaged, a dental bridge can help reinforce and protect those teeth too. For instance, if your tooth on either or both sides of the missing tooth happen to be:
- Chipped
- Cracked
- Fractured
- Have an extremely large filling
The preparation involved in placing the dental crowns which stabilize the pontic (false tooth) can help save you from the development of future dental issues with those teeth.
How a Bridge is Placed
A bridge consists of 3 units: the pontic (or false tooth) in the middle, and a crown on each side of the pontic. The crowns are bonded to the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth for stability. The adjacent teeth are ground down to accommodate the thickness of the dental crown. If the teeth are damaged or have a large filling, then this may also help repair them. The chip, fracture, or other problem may be ground out and then the remaining tooth capped with the crown. The same if there is a large filling. When the tooth is capped with the crown it is reinforced and protected.
