If you have a tooth missing from your mouth, or you have a tooth that you know is beyond salvaging and will need to be extracted, you may be wondering whether a dental bridge is the best option to replace the missing tooth or if you should instead consider another type of dental procedure. There are pros and cons to opting for this type of procedure over others, although in order to determine the best treatment choice to meet your particular needs, it is best to discuss your options with your dentist.
Dental Bridges Replacing Options
Dental bridges work to replace a missing tooth in your mouth by providing a means for a tooth replacement to rest securely in the space that has been left vacant by the missing tooth. This is done by creating a fabricated tooth, called a pontic, that is designed to function and look just like your natural tooth and then creating a way to secure that fabricated tooth to natural teeth that sit adjacent to the space where the replacement will go so it securely and permanently remains where it needs to be.
Most people who opt for this dental procedure have a traditional dental bridge placed in their mouth. With this option, a tooth on either side of the space left by the missing tooth is ground down so that a crown can be placed over the base of the natural tooth. These teeth are referred to as abutments. The crowns are then anchored to a replacement tooth, or pontic. Once the crowns are permanently secured to the abutments, it provides a way for the pontic to remain in place in the space where the missing tooth used to reside as it sits just above the gum line.
This is a popular option for individuals who are missing a single tooth, since it provides the least invasive way to replace the tooth while still providing adequate aesthetic and functional benefits. Another option that some people consider, however, is to have the missing tooth replaced by means of a dental implant. In this procedure, a titanium post is surgically implanted into the jawbone where the missing tooth used to reside to serve as the base for a crown to replace the tooth. Although this procedure offers additional benefits, such as preserving underlying bone strength in the jawbone, it is a more costly and invasive procedure.
Determining whether you prefer to use a dental bridge or an implant to serve as the support for a replacement tooth is entirely a personal choice, but is one that should be discussed with your dentist. In some cases, there are reasons that one option is highly preferable to another, while in other cases, it’s simply a matter of patient preference. Whichever option you choose, you will be left with a functional, aesthetically-pleasing and permanent means of replacing a missing tooth in your mouth.
For more information about dental bridges or to schedule an appointment to discuss whether a dental bridge is right for you, contact Park Dental Care in Queens at 718-274-1515.
