When you have missing teeth, this could lead to serious trouble for your smile down the road. But we can help prevent this with the placement of a dental prosthetic. In today’s blog, your Londonderry, NH, dentist talks about how we create and support a custom and lifelike dental bridge.

The Complications of Tooth Loss

What happens to our smiles when we lose our natural teeth? The gap could complicate how we eat and even limit meal options. For some, a larger gap could impact how clearly we speak. The empty space in your smile could enable surrounding teeth to drift from position to cause misalignment and with it, an increased risk of tooth decay and even gum disease. The pressure on your jaw joints from the changes in bite balance could lead to complications like TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding). The jawbone could even weaken as the body stops sending doses of calcium and phosphorus to the areas with missing roots, leading to further tooth loss and eventually, an older appearance. But to prevent these complications, we can address minor tooth loss with a dental bridge.

Creating a Custom Bridge

We want to replace your missing teeth and fill the gap before complications arise that lead to further tooth loss. With a bridge, we can address between one and four missing teeth in a row. To begin, we will numb the abutment teeth on each side of the gap and remove structure from them. We take detailed digital images and measurements, which allow us to design and craft the prosthetic. The prosthetic contains new teeth with crowns on each end. The ceramic prosthetic can be shaded to blend with your smile and can handle daily bite forces too. We attach the crown portions to the abutment teeth, securing your new teeth in place.

Support with Dental Implants

While a traditional bridge lasts about 10 to 15 years, we could support ones that last decades with dental implants. No need to remove structure from abutment teeth, as we instead insert one to two dental implant posts into the jaw directly, and attach the crowns to these. The implants stimulate the jawbone growth to prevent changes to the jaw ridge happen, preserving your smile and keeping your new badge in place for decades with proper care and attention.

If you have any questions about how we treat missing teeth with our durable and lifelike dental bridges, or whether you need to support them with crowns or dental implants, then contact our team today.

Schedule a Visit for Prosthetic Dentistry

When you have gaps in your smile, talk to our team about dental implant placement. To schedule an appointment for prosthetic dentistry with My Dentist in Londonderry, NH call (603)965-3407.