The dental bridge replaces a missing tooth with an artificial tooth that looks and functions like a natural tooth. This restores your smile and helps you eat better, prevents the sunk-in appearance that commonly occurs when teeth are missing, and can improve speech. However, patients may have to chew differently with a bridge in the beginning until they get used to it.

The Dental Bridge Process

In the traditional fixed bridge, the dentist prepares class III preparations on each of the abutment teeth (Figure 12-6, N). Then they place two rope attachments on each of these teeth and a pontic in between them to fill in the empty gap. A try-in of the bridge confirms that the abutment teeth and the pontic fit the preparations well and are positioned correctly.

During the next visit, the dentist cements the bridge in place. This can feel bulky or heavy at first, but this feeling should go away as you get used to it. You will be advised to eat soft food at first until you have adjusted to the bridge. It is very important to brush and floss your teeth regularly around a bridge. It is also recommended to see a hygienist more frequently than usual.

If you prefer a more permanent replacement, you can ask us about implant-supported bridges. This option requires more visits and a longer treatment time, but it is the most durable solution for missing teeth. We will give you numbing medicine for the parts of the procedure that might hurt. We will then put in a supporting post on the implant-supported bridge, and it will take some time for it to heal.