Dental Bridges in Port Orange

Restore Missing Teeth

With Dental Bridges

If you’re missing one or more adjacent teeth, Dr. Joseph Smillie and Dr. Helen Smillie are here to help at Smillie Dental. With custom-fitted dental bridges, you can restore your smile without wearing dentures. Get more information about this treatment below, or contact us now to schedule a consultation. 

What 

Are Dental Bridges?

Dental bridges are built to restore a single missing tooth, or to restore multiple adjacent missing teeth. 

They consist of two crowns that attach to two of your healthy teeth. These crowns are used to suspend a “bridge” consisting of one or more false teeth (pontics) that rest where your missing tooth or teeth used to be. This restores your bite and your smile.

Rather than being temporarily clipped onto your teeth like a partial denture, dental bridges are permanently cemented in place, which means they do not have to be removed. This makes them a more comfortable and convenient alternative. 

Understanding

The Benefits of Dental Bridges

Compared to alternative treatments like partial dentures, dental bridges have a number of great benefits. First, they will never shift or move in your mouth. The bridge is tightly secured to your healthy teeth with custom-fitted dental crowns, so you won’t have to worry about your teeth moving when you eat or speak. 

Dental bridges also do not have to be removed. You can clean them while they’re still in your mouth, and you don’t have to soak them overnight. This means they’re more convenient compared to partial dentures.

Dental bridges also last longer than partial dentures. Partial dentures are typically made from resin and plastic, and only last a few years. Bridges, in contrast, are built using a metal framework and porcelain crowns and false teeth, and are much more durable. Bridges can easily last 10 years or longer before requiring replacement.

For all of these reasons, bridges are a great option if you’re missing one or more teeth in a row. While they are a bit more expensive compared to dentures, they’re definitely worth the investment.

Understanding the Treatment 

How Does the Dental Bridge Process Work?

The process usually takes at least 2 appointments over a period of 2-3 weeks. First, you’ll come to our office to have your teeth prepared by Dr. Joseph Smillie or Dr. Helen Smillie. Your doctor will clean and numb your mouth, then trim away enamel from the two teeth that will support your bridge. This is done to ensure a proper fit for the bridge.

Once your teeth have been trimmed, Dr. Helen or Dr. Joseph will take impressions and images of your teeth, and send them to a dental lab. The lab will then use this information to create your bridge. This process will take about 2-3 weeks. In the meantime, you will get a temporary bridge or temporary crowns to protect your trimmed teeth, and you will be sent home. 

After your bridge arrives at our office, you’ll come in for your follow-up with Dr. Smillie. He will check the bridge to make sure it fits properly, and he can make minor adjustments, if necessary. Then, Dr. Smillie will use powerful dental cement to bond your bridge in place permanently, completing the procedure.