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Building Bridges To Better Smiles

May 01, 2017
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You may have heard of dental bridges. You may know someone who has one (whether you realize it or not). But you may not know if a dental bridge could help you. To put it simply if you are missing a tooth or a few teeth...

Building Bridges To Better Smiles

You may have heard of dental bridges. You may know someone who has one (whether you realize it or not).

But you may not know if a dental bridge could help you.

To put it simply if you are missing a tooth or a few teeth, a dental bridge may be a great option for restoring your smile … and maybe a few other things, too.

The best way to find out if a dental bridge could work for you is to contact Dr. Nasrin Sadeghi at our dentist office in Reading, MA.

She can examine your mouth and jaw and let you know if you are a good candidate for a dental bridge or another restorative service. She can also discuss the different kinds of bridges so you can make the right decision for you.

To schedule your appointment, call [phone] or contact us online.

Why You May Be Missing Teeth

According to data from the National Institutes of Health, the average American adult is missing a couple teeth. (That’s not counting wisdom teeth, which most people will have removed.)

That’s means if you are missing a tooth or two, then you are in the company of millions of other people. So how does tooth loss happen?

The most common cause of tooth loss in the United States is untreated gum disease. When we encourage you to floss daily, this is why. Brushing your teeth will remove a lot of plaque and bacteria, but it won’t remove all of it. Flossing is how you clean the spaces between your teeth and below your gumline.

As gum disease progresses, it can cause your gums to separate from your teeth. The bacteria that cause gum disease also can attack the bone that holds your teeth in place. This is how tooth loss can result from gum disease.

Of course, tooth decay can lead to tooth loss as well. If decay causes too much damage, it may even be advisable to remove a tooth in some cases.

And last but not least, you can lose teeth as a result of trauma. Falling down, walking or running into someone or something, and getting struck in the face or mouth with a ball all can cause sudden tooth loss.

The Effects Of Tooth Loss

The physical effects are the most obvious initially. When you have a gap in your smile, it’s hard for anyone to ignore.

Losing teeth also can affect how you eat. Many people with missing teeth have an understandable tendency to bite and chew on one side of their mouths. This may mean those teeth are doing more work than they did before, which can increase wear and tear.

Your missing teeth also may make it more difficult to bite into certain foods. This could lead you to give up some foods that you enjoy eating.

Tooth loss can have an emotional impact as well. We know that we have helped many patients who came to us because they felt embarrassed by the gaps in their smiles. They often tried to avoid smiling or speaking because of this.

As you can imagine, never smiling and rarely speaking can affect what other people think of you as well. That can have profound effects on your personal and professional life.

We also need to mention something else. When you lose teeth, you are more likely to keep losing them unless you do something to replace them.

And that’s where dental bridges can help.

Rebuilding With A Dental Bridge

By getting a dental bridge, you may be rebuilding more than just the appearance of your smile.

You can restore your ability to eat food like you normally would. We’ve also seen many times how a dental bridge can restore a patient’s self-confidence as well. Here are a few ways we can build a bridge for you.

Dental bridges are created when dental crowns are joined together.

A traditional bridge is bonded to the teeth nearest to your missing tooth or teeth. The crowns on the outside of the bridge, called abutment crowns are bonded to those teeth (which first are reshaped to support them).

For added security, you can get an implant-supported bridge. Dental implants are replacements for the roots of your missing teeth. By placing a few implants in your jaw, we can secure your bridge in place for decades to come with proper care.

Want To Learn More About Dental Bridges?

If you would like to know if First Dental Associates can build a bridge for you, just call 781-202-5612 or contact us online to request an appointment.