A dental bridge is just what the name suggests – a bridge, only this kind of bridge links teeth together when you have missing ones in between. During a dental bridge procedure, a dentist like Dr. Steven Hagerman removes one or more severely damaged teeth and replaces them with dental crowns that are adhered to the teeth on either side of them.
Fortunately for patients, dental bridges have aesthetic benefits as well as advantages for overall dental health. Let’s discuss further, so you can determine if a dental bridge from Dr. Hagerman of Hagerman Dental Care is the right tooth replacement solution for you.
Improve the Aesthetic of Your Smile
Missing teeth are very noticeable when you smile or speak, which is why it can easily impact your confidence and self-esteem. You may even notice that you try to hide your teeth when laughing or smiling. This can affect other people’s perception of you and make you miss out on experiences that make life worth it – such as first dates, standing out at work, and making new friends.
Fortunately, dental bridges can replace missing teeth, so you can smile confidently and not have to hide your smile anymore.
Ensure Remaining Teeth Don’t Shift
Your teeth hold each other in place. When you have a missing one, the teeth around it may move into the open space. This can wreak havoc on the position of several teeth, causing more gaps and crooked misalignments to develop.
With dental bridges, the crowns act like placeholders, so your remaining teeth stay in their proper positions, because they have nowhere to move any longer.
Help You Speak Normally
Your teeth play an important role in your speech. Specifically, some teeth are necessary to make certain sounds. Without these teeth, you may speak with a lisp or mispronounce words. This can make you self-conscious when you’re speaking with others.
A dental bridge replaces missing teeth, therefore, you’ll be able to speak clearly and correctly. You will be confident in your speaking ability, and others will be able to understand you completely.
Let You Chew Normally
Your teeth are also necessary for chewing. When one or more teeth are missing, you may compensate by chewing on the other side of your mouth. This may create a problem when you’re eating certain types of food and lead to abnormal chewing styles.
When you get dental bridges, you can continue to chew normally and won’t have any discomfort or need to chew using the opposing side of your mouth.
Easy to Maintain
If you’re looking for a tooth replacement method that requires little to no extra steps for care, dental bridges are the perfect solution. Taking care of dental bridges is exactly the same as taking care of your natural teeth. All you need to do is brush using a soft-bristled toothbrush.
You should still floss your teeth once daily – only the process will be slightly different. You won’t be able to floss in between the artificial tooth and the tooth its fused to. Moreover, unlike your natural teeth, you have space underneath your bridge where food can get trapped. Therefore, you’ll want to use a pre-threaded flosser to remove debris from underneath it.
You won’t need to make any extra routine visits when you have dental bridges. Dr. Hagerman will evaluate your bridges at routine visits when he examines your natural teeth.
Discuss the Option of Dental Bridges with Our Dentist in St. Paul, MN
Dr. Hagerman understands that severely damaged or missing teeth can weigh heavy on your self-esteem. That’s why we offer solutions like dental bridges to help you regain your confidence while maintaining the function of your teeth. Dr. Hagerman will work with you to find an ideal solution for tooth replacement based on your desires, situation, and budget. When he’s finished perfecting your smile, you’ll be proud to showcase it to the world.
Find a solution for your damaged or missing teeth by contacting Hagerman Dental Care, serving St. Paul and the neighboring areas. Call us at (651) 646-2392, or use our convenient online appointment request form.