5 Steps to Rebuilding Your Smile with a Dental Bridge

Tooth loss not only changes how your smile looks, but how it functions as well. Losing permanent teeth can lead to painful chewing, causing you to forgo certain food. If you’re struggling with tooth loss issues in Ocala or Citrus Springs, Florida, Drs. Robert Evelyn and Wayne Harper from Ocala Smiles recommend you consider a dental bridge. A bridge is a dental device that contains one or more artificial teeth to replace teeth that have gone missing. It’s secured in place by dental crowns fitted onto adjacent healthy teeth. 

The process of getting a bridge involves multiple dental visits. Here are the steps to rebuilding your smile with a bridge:

Step 1: Consultation

Dr. Evelyn or Dr. Wayne will schedule a consultation to examine your teeth and assess your tooth loss issues.  We’ll take X-rays to evaluate your bone health and help determine if a bridge is the best restorative treatment for you. At this time, we’ll explain your options for a bridge and answer any questions you may have about this treatment. Knowing what to expect will help you plan accordingly. 

Before and After Actual Patient Results

See More Results

Step 2: Preparing Your Abutment Teeth

Traditional bridges are secured by dental crowns placed on abutment teeth, which are the teeth on either side of the gap left by missing teeth. Through X-rays, we’ve already determined that these teeth are healthy enough to support your bridge. In this step, we’ll prep your abutment teeth to receive dental crowns. This entails reshaping or modifying their structure to make space for crowns to be fitted. An accurate fit is essential to the stability and security of your bridge. 

Step 3: Impressions

Once your abutment teeth have been prepped, we’ll take impressions of your teeth and jaw to get precise measurements for your bridge. These impressions will serve as blueprints to have a bridge custom-fitted for your mouth. Dental bridges can be made from different types of materials, such as ceramic, porcelain, gold, and metal. Porcelain makes a good choice for a bridge that will be highly visible, as it closely resembles the color and sheen of natural tooth enamel. The impressions and instructions for your bridge will be sent to a lab where bridges are fabricated. 

Step 4: Temporary Bridge

As fabricating a custom bridge can take several weeks, we’ll place a temporary bridge in place during this interim period to protect your teeth and soft tissues.

Step 5: Fitting Your Permanent Bridge

When your permanent bridge is completed, we’ll schedule a fitting to make sure your new teeth fit comfortably and securely in your mouth. If you’re totally happy with the look and feel of your bridge, we’ll cement it in place permanently. Your new teeth are then ready for use!

Dental Bridge Treatment Near Me

To learn more about dental bridges and how they can benefit you, contact Dr. Robert Evelyn or Dr. Wayne Harper from Ocala Smiles at 352-867-7181. 

Share this Article