Dental Bridges Colorado Springs
Conveniently Fill the Gap in Your Grin
Missing teeth can impact everything from your eating and speaking habits to your self-confidence. Fortunately, if you’ve lost one or more in a row, Dr. Lane can conveniently fill the gap in your grin with a dental bridge. This beautiful, resilient prosthetic can simultaneously restore your smile’s functionality and appearance so that you look and feel better than ever.
Continue reading to learn more about dental bridges in Colorado Springs, and please contact us with any additional questions.
Why Choose Colorado Springs Complete Dentistry for Dental Bridges?
- Active Member of the American Dental Association
- Advanced Technology to Enhance Patient Comfort
- Flexible Financing & In-House Memberships Available
What is a Dental Bridge?
This type of prosthetic can be used to fill in the gap left behind by one or more consecutively missing teeth. It contains the necessary number of pontics (artificial teeth) between two dental crowns anchoring to healthy teeth or implants on either side of the space in your smile.
These are made from durable, tooth-colored materials, so they are impossible to tell apart from your natural teeth.
Types of Dental Bridges
Dental bridges are an incredibly versatile solution that can benefit almost anyone with missing teeth. Whether you have a single tooth that needs to be replaced or several, this prosthetic can help. There’s more than one type, so you must consult with Dr. Lane before you can proceed. She’ll examine your mouth and recommend an appropriate method based on her findings. Each of the possibilities is outlined in more detail below:
Traditional Dental Bridge
This is the tried-and-true version that relies on healthy teeth in your mouth to serve as abutment teeth to anchor to. If your dental condition has deteriorated, your restoration might have nothing to hold it in place, in which case we will likely suggest an implant bridge.
Implant Bridge
This method involves surgically placing two metal rods into your jawbone on either side of the gap in your grin. These will hold your bridge in place if you don’t have sufficiently supportive teeth. It takes a few months to recover because your jawbone will fuse with the poles for a stronger, more resilient restoration.
The Benefits of Getting a Dental Bridge
There are several advantages to getting your dental bridge in Colorado Springs, such as:
- Prevent dental drifting. Your remaining teeth are prone to shifting out of alignment to fill in any spaces left behind, which can harm them.
- Preserve oral health. If left unaddressed, gaps and misaligned teeth can cause decay, disease, and injury.
- Increasing confidence. Rebuilding your grin can boost your self-esteem because it’s much easier to chew food, speak clearly, and smile authentically.
- Easy maintenance. Your dental bridge is permanently attached, so you only need to brush and floss twice daily to keep them clean.
- Long lasting. Your restoration can last 10+ years if cared for correctly.
Dental Bridges FAQs
How Long Should a Dental Bridge Last?
On average, dental bridges last between 5 and 15 years. Since that’s quite a range, you might be wondering what makes the biggest difference when it comes to making them last for over a decade. The answer? Proper care and maintenance. In addition to committing to a solid oral hygiene regimen at home, it’s important to come to our office every six months for a dental checkup and cleaning. Outside of that, wear a mouthguard when you play sports, avoid extremely crunchy foods, like hard pretzels, and steer clear of tobacco products.
How Many Teeth Can a Dental Bridge Replace?
Dental bridges are typically used to replace between one and four missing teeth. If you are missing five or more teeth consecutively, then we will likely recommend a partial denture because dental bridges become less stable the longer they extend. We can also replace every tooth with a single dental implant, which allows us to replace both the root and crown. Rest assured, we will review all of your treatment options with you at your visit.
Do Dental Bridges Look Natural?
Dental bridges that are crafted from tooth-colored materials look extremely natural! In fact, the entire restoration is custom-made to suit your face shape, dental needs, and smile goals. So, once it’s securely in position, it will blend in seamlessly with your surrounding teeth, ensuring no unwanted attention is drawn to your smile.
Can Dental Bridges Get Cavities?
Dental bridges look and feel lifelike, but they are crafted from artificial materials. As a result, they cannot get cavities. Of course, the teeth underneath still can, and your gums can still develop an infection. So, if you want to avoid decay, infections, and additional tooth loss, it’s crucial that you commit to good oral hygiene habits (i.e., brushing consistently, scheduling a dental checkup every six months, not overindulging on sugary snacks).
What Can You Not Eat with a Dental Bridge?
To keep your restoration in pristine condition (while also protecting your oral health), we recommend exercising caution with certain foods. Sticky treats, like caramel-filled candies, fruit gummies, and taffy, are great examples because – in addition to not having any nutritional value – they can pull your dental bridge out of position. Hard pretzels, tortilla chips, and other snacks with a crunchier consistency should also be avoided because they can lead to a considerable chip or crack in your restoration, especially if they are a regular part of your diet.