Dental Bridges

Replace Multiple Teeth at Once

Like millions of other Americans, you may suffer from tooth loss. If so, you know firsthand how missing teeth harm your looks and quality of life. Still, there’s a solution to your problem — a dental bridge in Southlake! With this prosthetic, Huckabee Dental can replace several adjacent teeth at once. You’d then enjoy a restored smile that looks and feels excellent. If that sounds good to you, keep reading to learn more about bridge treatment; you can also call our office for details!

What is a Dental Bridge?

A dental bridge is a device that replaces multiple missing teeth. In general, it consists of a replacement tooth (i.e., pontic) with materials fused to its sides. Thanks to specific tools, the pontic is held in place by abutment teeth on either side of the gap. As such, a bridge normally stays secure.

The best bridge candidates tend to have the following conditions:

  • Missing one or more permanent teeth in one arch
  • Healthy teeth and a strong bone structure to support the bridge
  • The ability to perform oral hygiene to maintain bridge stability

The Types of Dental Bridges

Before moving forward with treatment, our office needs to know the severity of your tooth loss. Therefore, your first dental visit will be a consultation with our dentists. This approach will help us learn your smile goals, desired results, and medical history. By getting these facts, we can then suggest (and make) a bridge just right for you.

Traditional Dental Bridge

The traditional dental bridge is the more popular type. In most cases, it includes a pontic secured by dental crowns cemented to abutment teeth.

Given its features, this bridge is ideal for those with natural teeth near their smile gap. Keep in mind, though, that it removes bits of enamel to make room for its crowns.

Implant Bridge

Unlike a regular one, an implant bridge doesn’t use dental crowns. Rather, it affixes itself to your jaw with dental implants — restorations that fuse with your jawbone. As a result, the prosthetic is permanent.

As you can imagine, anchoring a bridge with implants has perks. In particular, doing so ensures the dentist doesn’t need to alter your surrounding teeth.

The Benefits of Getting a Dental Bridge

Given their features, dental bridges offer many benefits for their users. These include:

  • A Straight, Lifelike Smile: Since a bridge fills the gap in your smile, it also keeps your other teeth from tilting. The result is that your smile looks straight and beautiful!
  • A Young Face: An implant bridge stimulates your jawbone. In doing so, it’ll keep you from suffering facial collapse.
  • Greater Confidence: You’re likely to feel less confident if you have a big gap in your smile. Luckily, a bridge can fill that space and boost your body image.
  • Easier Eating & Speaking: Whatever the type, bridges look and act like natural teeth. They thus improve your ability to eat and speak. Plus, most are steady enough that they don’t slip or fall from your mouth.

In the end, a dental bridge in Southlake is a great addition to any smile. So, don’t wait — call our office and book a visit soon!

Dental Bridges FAQs

At this point, maybe you’d like to try dental bridges in Southlake. It’d be great if you do — these prosthetic teeth are great at restoring smiles! That said, you may want to know more about them first. Having extra details would help you decide whether to get treatment. To that end, we at Huckabee Dental have listed the answers to some frequently asked bridge questions. Read them over to get a sense of our bridges! Otherwise, you can always call our office for needed information.

Is Getting a Dental Bridge Painful?

To be clear, getting a dental bridge doesn’t hurt. It’s a painless process that’ll help your smile overall.

You see, dentists take precautions before a bridge treatment. Prior to one, they’ll numb the relevant teeth so you don’t feel pain. This numbing is usually done with a topical anesthetic, though nervous patients could also choose to include sedation.

Admittedly, your teeth may feel sensitive after a bridge’s placement. This symptom, however, only lasts a few days; it’s even manageable with over-the-counter pain medication. Plus, your dentist will provide aftercare tips for pain if you get an implant bridge.

Are Dental Bridges Safe?

When done by an experienced dentist, dental bridge treatment is perfectly safe. It won’t hurt your teeth, gums, or general oral health.

The main reason is that there’s no risk of toxicity. Metal bridges don’t contain potentially harmful mercury. Similarly, tooth-colored materials like ceramic and zirconia are toxin-free. Though there is a slight chance of an allergy if a metal alloy is used, such things are rare and minor.

Still, it never hurts to be careful. Call a dentist at once if you experience gum irritation, redness, or swelling near your bridge. These symptoms could point to an allergic reaction.

Do Dental Bridges Look Natural?

Today, most dental bridges look quite natural. It’s to the point that most people can’t tell them apart from regular teeth!

With metal-free bridges, their realistic looks stem from their material. They rely on ceramic and zirconia color-matched to your enamel. As such, even the way light bounces off these prosthetics seems natural.

For metal bridges, things differ a bit, but they don’t have to be gaudy. While those made from gold and silver won’t look natural, they’re typically used for teeth not visible in the smile.

Are Dental Bridges Covered by Insurance?

Insurance usually does cover dental bridges. Even so, keep in mind that the level of coverage varies by plan. While many policies cover 40-50 % of the cost, others may do less. Therefore, remember to confirm things with your plan provider beforehand.

Of course, insurance isn’t the only way to make bridges more affordable. Our own Huckabee Dental offers options like:

  • Flexible Financing: Our office provides flexible financing through CareCredit. With their help, patients can pay for bridges with low-interest monthly installments.
  • Membership Plans: For a light monthly fee, Huckabee Dental gives you access to various services and discounts. In particular, we’d take 15% off a bridge treatment!