1. Take Advantage of Bridges
A dental bridge, or a set of one or more teeth fused to your gums to replace missing teeth, remains in the mouth permanently, so you don't have to worry about taking them out at night or losing them like removable dentures. If you play sports or are involved in other athletic activities, they won't get damaged. They look natural and your dentist can easily adjust them.
2. Pick a Permanent Fix
A traditional fixed bridge, called a pontic, consists of a fake tooth or teeth fixed between porcelain crowns to replace missing teeth. Unlike dentures, a fixed bridge remains permanently in your mouth. Affixed to abutment teeth by a metal band, a resin-bonded bridge reduces preparation time and replaces front teeth. If healthy teeth exist on only one side of a missing tooth, then choose a cantilever bridge.
3. Prepare for Your New Smile
If the teeth around the missing or decayed teeth are healthy enough, the dentist will prepare the area for the bridge. A dentist can repair damaged teeth with crowns and other devices to enable them to support a bridge. The dentist then takes impressions of your teeth with alginate, and sends the model of your teeth to the lab. The technician then prepares the bridge based on these impressions. The dentist fits you with a temporary bridge to shield your teeth and prepare you for the permanent appliance while the technician sculpts the final bridge
4. You May Still Be Out of Pocket
While dental insurance covers bridges, some kinds of bridges can tally hefty out of pocket expenses, depending on the other procedures needed to prepare the bridge, including root canals or filling adjacent teeth. The materials used to make the bridge and the techniques used by the dentist and lab tech, also determine the ultimate cost.
5. Keep That Bridge Clean
Brush and floss the teeth surrounding the bridge normally, but use a floss threader to clean under the bridge. You thread the floss through a loop at the end of a plastic threader, then floss from side to side, across and underneath the bridge. Keep the teeth and gums clean around the bridge or they may become infected. If you keep the bridge and surrounding teeth in good shape with regular visits to the dentist and good at-home care, it can last up to twenty years.
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