Services: Bridges, Implants & Missing Teeth

Achieving a natural looking and realistic smile after tooth loss is possible with dental bridges and implants. Both are methods used by dentists to fill a gap created by a missing tooth (or teeth).

Bridges

A bridge consists of two crowns for the teeth on either side of the gap, with a false tooth in between. Traditional bridges are the most commonly used type of dental bridge and are made of ceramic or porcelain fused to metal (PFM). If there are no surrounding teeth to support the crowns, dental implants can be used to fix the bridge in place. The dentist will begin your dental bridge work by filing down the adjacent teeth to accommodate the crowns. Then, the dentist will take impressions of the teeth, which will be used to create the dental crowns.

Once the crowns are finished (crowns can be all-ceramic or made of metal or porcelain fused to metal), the false tooth (or teeth) will be bonded to them. When the dental bridge is ready, a return visit to the dentist will be necessary to place it on the teeth. During your final visit, the dentist securely ceents the crowns over the surrounding teeth to complete your smile with the dental bridge. With proper care, dental bridges will last five to seven years and, in some cases, longer.

Implants

A dental implant is a small screw made of titanium, which is inserted in the jaw bone in a short operation under local anesthetic as an outpatient procedure. It subsequently knits painlessly with the bone, thus forming a solid basis for long-term and stable fixation of a crown or denture. Implants are the closest to nature esthetically and functionally. They cannot be distinguished from natural teeth with regard to function or appearance.

For more information on dental implants, please visit www.nobelsmile.ca and www.straumann.ca