How To Choose The Best Dental Bridge For You

For patients with missing teeth, dental bridges offer an ideal solution, both for the appearance of their smile and for their oral health.

A well-placed bridge from a dentist in Okotoks will not only look like a brand new natural tooth, but it can actually help maintain the integrity of your jaw.  A lot of people don’t realize that when you lose your teeth (or even just one tooth), you end up losing bone density as a consequence, and the remaining teeth begin shifting over time

Add to that the benefits of being able to properly chew your food, and it’s easy to see why this procedure is so popular for patients.

With that said, choosing the right dental bridge is a little more tricky.  Thanks to advancements in dental technology, there are now a whole host of options available to you depending on your specific situation. 

Traditional Bridge

The “traditional bridge” is what most people think of when they think of a bridge.  The artificial tooth is held in place and supported by the existing teeth on either side.

While traditional bridges have been gradually falling out of favor since the development of implants over the last few decades, they offer some pretty serious benefits.  Since the pressure from biting down on food is spread evenly over a large space, they tend to be quite strong and resistant to breaking.  They also offer patients quite an improved ability to chew their food.

The down side is that, because they’re being held in place on either side by your natural teeth, there is quite a bit of enamel that will need to be removed in order to properly fit them.  As a result, these teeth will almost always need some kind of crown to protect them.

Maryland Bridge

The Maryland bridge is similar to a traditional bridge in that it makes use of your two natural teeth on either side to hold the piece in place.  However, this is a much more conservative option - rather than being placed over top of the existing teeth (which requires more drilling), it’s bonded onto the back.

The advantage is that your dentist will need to remove less enamel from your teeth than a traditional bridge.  The downside is stability - these tend to be quite a bit weaker, and have a much higher rate of failure.

Cantilever Bridge

A cantilever bridge is one in which the artificial tooth is bonded to only one of the existing teeth. 

For patients who only have one natural tooth available, this can potentially be a solid option.  The downside, however, is stability - obviously a bridge bonded to one tooth is going to be less stable than a bridge that’s bonded to two.  Often these can only be placed towards the front of the mouth due to the amount of force generated by your back teeth.

Implant Supported Bridges

An implant supported bridge offers the best of both worlds. These are used when quite a few teeth are missing, and involve placing three artificial teeth onto two implants on either side.

Not only is this more economical and allows you to replace three teeth with one implant, it also tends to have a higher success rate - placing implants directly beside one another can actually lead to potential complications and implant failure.

In addition, this is one of the strongest options available - implants have the benefit of functioning like real teeth and can last a lifetime. 

To find out if you’re a good fit for an implant supported bridge (or any of these bridge options) be sure to consult a dentist near you for an assessment and treatment options.