Dental Bridges in Houston, TX

Dental bridges fill the unattractive gap between the teeth. It is a dental appliance that is utilized to replace missing teeth and is secured to either your natural teeth or implant restoration surrounding the space. During the placement of dental bridges, crowns are traditionally secured over your natural teeth on either side of the space to act as anchors for the prosthetic teeth.

Benefits of Dental Bridges

Dental bridges offer many benefits, including:

• Re-establish the ability to bite and chew efficiently
• Prevent teeth from shifting
• The forces in your bite are distributed evenly
• Help support any remaining tooth structure
• Maintain facial outline
• Restore smile appearance
• Do not require surgery

Types of Dental Bridges

Traditional Bridges

They comprise two crowns for either side of a missing gap, with an artificial tooth in between. These are the most standard bridges and are usually made from porcelain or metal fused to porcelain.

Maryland Bridges

Maryland bridges are designed with plastic teeth and metal attachments. These metal attachments are fixed on either side of the prosthetic tooth and are bonded to a patient’s existing teeth. This is a minimally invasive and more economical bridge solution.

Cantilever Bridges

Cantilever bridges are helpful only when there are teeth present on one side of a missing tooth. They usually are not recommended for the back teeth as they can put too much force on the adjoining teeth, causing damage to them.

Implant-Supported Bridge

The implant-supported bridges employ dental implants instead of crowns or frameworks. They have become popular over the years since no existing teeth will need to be reshaped or trimmed down to support a crown. Implant-supported bridges are anchored by dental implants and will stimulate the bones just as the tooth’s roots.

Procedure for Dental Bridges

The dental bridge placement will need two office visits. To begin, the teeth on each side of the gap are prepared for their crowns. It involves removing some of the enamel structure to make space for the anchoring crown. Once this is finished, we will capture impressions of the prepared teeth to construct the bridges and send them to our dental lab.

Once the restoration is ready, we will check the fit and the bite and, if required, make the necessary adjustments. If everything is found satisfactory, the dental bridge is bonded permanently into position.

To learn more about dental bridges, visit our office, University Oaks Dental, at 6363 San Felipe St #200b, Houston, TX 77057. You can also reach us at (713) 461 8012 and schedule an appointment.