Bridges
Dental Fixed Bridges in NW Calgary
What is a Fixed Bridge?
Fixed bridges quite simply replace missing teeth to improve chewing and to help one’s appearance. Bridges consist of one or more replacement teeth anchored to the natural teeth next to them. They can be made of ceramic, gold or a combination of the two. Once a bridge is placed, it is permanent and it can not be removed. This helps to make it feel extremely natural and comfortable.
Ask our dentists if you could benefit from a dental bridge.
All of our services are performed by a general dentist.
Why Do Missing Teeth Need to Be Replaced?
In a normal healthy mouth, your teeth have a natural balance. Each upper tooth contacts the corresponding lower tooth, allowing for a well-balanced chewing function. Just one missing tooth can cause the position of other teeth to change; some teeth may tilt forward, or opposing teeth may move into the adjacent space.
Shifting, drifting, and tilting teeth can cause a variety of problems such as difficult or painful chewing patterns, difficulty in cleaning, increased areas of food impaction, and aesthetic concerns. Generally, if the missing tooth is not replaced, other teeth in the same arch and opposite arch will be affected over time
Preparing & Fitting a Bridge
It will take two or more dental visits to prepare and fit your bridge.
Visit One
First, your dentist reshapes the supporting teeth in the same way that crowns are prepared to anchor your fixed bridge. Then an impression is taken of the area in the mouth that will receive the bridge. Your dentist will select a colour from a guide to make sure the replacement teeth match the colour of your natural teeth if a ceramic bridge is chosen. The dentist may fit you with a temporary bridge to protect the prepared teeth while your custom fixed bridge is being fabricated.
Visit Two
At your second visit, your temporary bridge is removed and your dentist places the fixed bridge onto your prepared teeth. The dentist may adjust it so that the bridge feels even more comfortable in your mouth. When all aspects of the bridge are just right, it will be bonded or cemented into place. Your new bridge will be ready for normal function in a few hours if not immediately.