If you are missing a tooth, it can be damage not just to your smile, but to your confidence. Fortunately, we have many options to replace a missing tooth, including a dental bridge. Dental bridges don’t require surgery, and they are fully fixed in your mouth so you can chew naturally. They are long-lasting, attractive tooth replacement options.

If you have lost a tooth and are looking for a replacement, please call (509) 927-2273 today for an appointment with a cosmetic dentist in Spokane Valley at Collins Dentistry & Aesthetics.

Woman smiling at the lake.

Benefits of Dental Bridges

A good option for restoring missing teeth, they:
  • Are secure in your mouth
  • Let you chew normally
  • Are Attractive and look natural
  • Don’t require surgery
  • Can be completed quickly
  • Are long-lasting
Dental bridges are bonded to your natural teeth. This means they aren’t removable–and they won’t slip out if you are talking, laughing, or eating. And unlike removable dentures, they let you chew normally, so you can keep eating all your favorite foods.
Modern dental bridges are very attractive. They look like natural teeth with no wires or other visible connections.
Dental bridges are normal tooth restorations, so they don’t require any surgery. This means that they can be completed and heal quickly. You can have a new dental bridge in about a month.
Despite their short preparation time, dental bridges can last a long time: usually 10-15 years if properly designed and well cared for.

What Are Dental Bridges?

Dental bridges are tooth replacements that use your natural teeth for support. Usually, a bridge is designed with two dental crowns, one on either side of the replacement tooth, called a pontic. The crowns slip over the supporting teeth, and the pontic rests on your gums. Ideally, the pontic actually nestles into the gums, making it look more like a natural tooth.

Limitations of Dental Bridges

Dental bridges are good options for tooth replacement, but they are not always the best option, here’s why:

  • Can only be used in some situations
  • Don’t stimulate bones and gums
  • May damage supporting teeth
  • Don’t last a lifetime

Dental bridges are limited in their application. They can only be used in some situations, usually where one tooth is lost between two mostly healthy teeth.

Unlike natural teeth, bridges don’t stimulate the bones and gums. This can lead to the body removing bone from under the bridge. When this happens, the gums can collapse, leaving a visible space between the gums and the bridge.

Supporting teeth have to bear the extra force from the dental bridge. A well-designed bridge limits this, but in some cases, it can damage the supporting teeth and may lead the tooth to fail earlier than it otherwise would.

For all these reasons and more, dental bridges rarely last a lifetime.

Is a Bridge Right for You?

Despite their limitations, there are some situations where a dental bridge is a better choice than a dental implant. Bridges are better if you have one or two damaged but healthy teeth on either side of the missing tooth. These teeth might need crowns anyway, so the bridge becomes a good option.

A bridge might also make sense if you don’t have enough bone to support a dental implant.

Finally, you might not like the idea of implant surgery, which makes the bridge seem like a better choice.

Find the Best Tooth Replacement Option

If you are in Spokane Valley and need a dental bridge, we can help. Please call (509) 927-2273 today for an appointment with a cosmetic dentist at Collins Dentistry & Aesthetics.