Types of Bridges

We’ve provided a lot of people with new teeth at Enid Dental Care. Thanks to advances in modern dentistry, there are now many options for tooth replacements. We wanted to take this opportunity to explain more about different kinds of bridges.

A bridge is a set of replacement crowns in one structure. A classical bridge was made up of two crowns which were placed over reshaped natural teeth, with a third crown suspended between them. Natural teeth tend to be more resilient than artificial ones so a dentist wouldn’t usually want to reshape them unless they need new crowns anyway. However, this method does have the advantage of leaving patients with their natural tooth roots.

It is also possible for dentures to be supported by implants. All-on-fours or all-on-sixes are bridges that are used to replace all the teeth in a jaw and are held permanently in place with normal-sized implants. Removable dentures can also be held in place with mini-implants. Partial implants have the advantage of allowing dentists to be more selective about which teeth a bridge replaces since they don’t require all the teeth in a row to be reshaped, but the denture itself will need to be replaced if the intervening teeth shift. Regardless of what kind of bridge a patient has, they will need to brush it on a daily basis.

Dr. Dennis Morehart, Master of the Academy of General Dentistry, operates Enid Dental Care at 2411 Heritage Trail, Ste #4, Enid, Oklahoma, 73703. To schedule an appointment, call 580-237-2213 or visit Enid Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Cleaning a Fixed Bridge

Bridges are one of the most reliable means of restoring teeth, but they require patients to learn a new way of caring for their oral health in order to get the maximal benefit. We highly value patient satisfaction and preventive care at Enid Dental Care, so we want to ensure our patients know all the tools that are available to them.

The gap in between the bridge and the gum line needs to be cleaned in a similar manner to the gaps between teeth. Some floss manufacturers make floss with stiffened tips so it can be pushed through the gap, but normal floss can be pulled through the gap with a tool called a threader. Similar in appearance to a soft sewing needle, threaders are used to pull floss over or under orthodontic wires and work the same way with bridges.

Some makers of electric toothbrushes and water picks also make tips for their devices which are designed for use on implants. Implant-supported bridges tend to have a larger gap, which allows larger food particles to get trapped but also allows for the use of larger brushes to dislodge them. A Christmas tree brush can be mounted on the end of a normal-sized toothbrush handle for this purpose.

Dr. Dennis Morehart, Master of the Academy of General Dentistry, operates Enid Dental Care at 2411 Heritage Trail, Ste #4, Enid, Oklahoma, 73703. To schedule an appointment, call 580-237-2213 or visit EnidDentalCare.com and fill out a contact sheet.