Bridges

How Many Appointments Will I Need for a Dental Bridge?

Bridges are one of the more involved dental procedures you are likely to experience. That’s why it’s important to know that two or more appointments are often needed to complete the treatment to replace one or more missing teeth. A dental bridge is just one option for replacing missing teeth, of course, but it’s often the best solution for replacing a missing front tooth. Dental bridges can work in any area of your mouth, but Dr. Pinson will talk with you about your treatments and discuss the time and costs involved in any of the tooth replacement options we provide.

• The first step in the bridge process is preparing the two teeth that will anchor the bridge. In some cases, existing teeth are strong enough to support the bridge.
• The existing teeth are reshaped so the prosthetic teeth that make up the crown can be bonded to them.
• If one or both of the existing teeth planned to anchor the bridge can’t support the bridge or are missing, a specialist will attach a metal or titanium post to your jaw to serve as a dental implant.
• The implant will be fitted with an artificial tooth and become part of the permanent dental bridge.
• Once the anchor teeth are prepared, Dr. Pinson will place a temporary bridge in your mouth to give you the ability to chew and enjoy a fully functioning bite while the permanent bridge is prepared in a lab. The temporary bridge will serve you well in the meantime, but it won’t provide the finished look, feel, and long-term strength of your permanent bridge.

When the process is complete, your bridge will look and feel like the other teeth in your mouth. The time involved in placing a bridge will be different for every patient because of the healing time that may be needed for implants or other preparations to the anchor teeth. During follow-up appointments, we’ll check to make sure everything is fitting and functioning properly.

How Many Teeth Can Be Replaced With a Bridge?

It depends on where in your mouth the teeth are missing and other factors like your age and the health of the surrounding teeth. While the typical bridge involves implants or existing teeth serving as anchors, with a false tooth in the middle, it’s possible to support more than one false tooth in that span between the anchor teeth. But, every situation is different. Luckily, Dr. Pinson has a great deal of experience with dental bridges and takes the time to understand your dental history and oral health goals. Together, we can talk through all the options and decide on a solution that makes the most sense for you.

If you have any questions feel free to contact our office via phone, email, or schedule an appointment online.