Bridges at our dentist in Crawley
Bridges are more common than you think and a well crafted, partial denture from our dentist in Crawley often goes completely unnoticed. Let’s take a look at how we do it, gaining function and appearance.
Bridges solutions
The bridge solution is a great way to replace a lost tooth, but it has its limitations. The day-to-day job of teeth is strenuous and although they almost never complain, they go through a lot of having to grind hard food and lateral forces when speaking or laughing. What most people take for granted can become genuinely irritating with a prosthetic unless it is very securely held in place. Many attempts to develop different anchoring methods for bridges are available at our dentist in Crawley.
Wires bridges and removable Bridges
Removable bridges have been the traditional solution. They have their pros and cons with wired bridges being more stable in everyday wear but harder to clean and maintain, requiring specialised long-handled brushes to allow you to clean underneath them to maintain the health of the underlying gum. Removable bridges use the same interface as traditional dentures but considering how short they are, it leaves them vulnerable to rocking backwards and forwards in position.
Getting the most from bridges
There are variations between bridge designs. Wired bridges that are by far the most common bridge can be limited by the health of adjacent teeth. Why? Because either end of the bridge has anchoring wires which are wrapped around two adjacent teeth. These wires place additional stress on those teeth and can significantly reduce their lifespan, increasing the chances of cracks and fractures as well as aggravating the gum immediately around the anchoring tooth. This increases the chances of gum recession in the event of poor oral hygiene.
Implant immobilised bridges
At our dentist in Crawley, immobilised bridges use the technology developed by the single implant to act as their own anchoring points at each end of the bridge. An implant is placed into the patient’s jaw and these two implants can support up to 4 teeth. This can allow a closer interaction from the bridge to the gum tissue; they eliminate much of the maintenance and lifespan issues of traditional wired bridges, requiring only the basic maintenance of twice daily brushing and 6-month checkups. This, combined with them being fused to the jaw bone makes them feel far more natural and rock solid in place.
The implanting procedure itself significantly extends the time of treatment. Implants placed in the jaw require 4 to 12 months to be fully integrated. During this period, the gum is closed and allows you to continue with life as normal without the risk of dislodging or damaging them. Only once their integration is confirmed by x-ray is the gum tissue opened and the bridge fixed onto the implants.
Do you want to know more? To find out how dental implants could help you if you already have a bridge or denture, feel free to get in contact. To find out how we can help you deal with underlying rubbing and the irritation of over-mobile prosthetics, call our team today.