Dental Bridges Implants

 

Traditional dental bridges are supported by your natural teeth, but some bridges are supported by dental bridges implants.  If you are missing a single tooth, a dental implant might replace the need for a dental bridge.  However, if you are missing multiple teeth, you will probably get a bridge supported by dental bridges .  Sometimes you will receive one implant in place of each missing tooth.  Other times there may be some gaps between the dental implants, which are filled in by the extra teeth of the bridge.  In any case dental bridges are used when there are reasons not to use the natural teeth to secure the bridge.  Instead the dental implants are set in to the bone and the bridge is secured to the dental implants.

Implant-supported bridges are used to replace teeth, just like traditional dental bridges.  With traditional bridges the bridge is secured by attaching it to crowns set into the adjacent teeth.  Dental implants allow the bridge to be secured to the bone, which means there is no affect on the adjacent teeth.  This may be preferable, especially if these teeth are healthy and have had no previous dental work.

Another reason for using a bridge supported by dental implants is that it helps spread out the pressure put on any one implant.  Clenching or grinding teeth, for example, puts a lot of pressure on teeth, or on dental implants.  Even normal chewing puts a certain amount of stress on them.  Using a bridge of connected artificial teeth means that any pressure or stress on the teeth is spread across the bridge, which helps reduce the likelihood that dental bridges implants will loosen from the bone and eventually fail.

In some cases, dental implants may not be able to be secured in certain spots.  There may be too little bone supporting structure, it may be too close to a nerve or sinus cavity.  In these cases, using a bridge secured by dental implants next to the trouble area, allows for the missing teeth to still be replaced.

The implants used to secure dental bridges are typically made of titanium.  These are surgically set in to the jawbone, and then the jaw and gums are allowed to heal before anything else is attached to them.

Once the implants themselves are set, and the jaw has healed, abutments will be attached.  Abutments are what the dental bridge will be anchored to.  This is very similar to the process used in traditional bridges, but a traditional bridge is anchored to existing teeth, called abutment teeth.  The abutment will be a cylinder made of titanium, gold or porcelain.   In the past some abutments were cemented in place, but today abutments are designed to screw directly into the implants.

The restoration is made up of a bridge of crowns, which are typically made out of porcelain that has been fused with metal.  This bridge will be secured in place by attaching it to the abutments.

Implant Supported Dentures vs. Implant Supported Bridges

While they may sound very similar, there are a couple of distinct difference between an implant supported bridge and implant supported dentures.  An implant supported dentures is basically an over denture.  It is designed to function much like regular dentures, meaning it comes in and out of your mouth.

The difference is that, while regular dentures are designed to rest on the gums, or be held in place by denture adhesive, implant supported dentures are attached to implants.  There are a couple of ways the denture is secured to the dental implants, but essentially they all come down to clipping onto the secure structure provided by the dental implants.  This allows them to be very stable while they are in, but also allows them to be removed when not in use.

Implant supported bridges are quite different.  They will still be held in by dental implants, but they will be attached by more secure methods.  Dental bridges are not intended to be removable like dentures so they will be permanently attached to the dental implants.

Dental bridges and dental implants are both valuable options when you need a tooth replaced.  Depending on your exact circumstances, both have their advantages and disadvantages.  But in some cases you will need both.  More specifically, in some cases the best option will be a bridges supported by dental implants.  For many people, any kind of dental work comes with an ominous sense of foreboding; so just hearing that may be discouraging.  However, there are some distinct benefits that come with a bridge supported by dental implants.

First, it is important to remember, that a bridge is slightly different in construction when it is going to be secured by implants.  A traditional dental bridge is held in place by crowns attached to its sides, while a bridge supported by implants will be held in place from implants below it.  This means that if your bridge is going to be implant-supported, the teeth next to the bridge won’t need any preparatory work like they would for a traditional bridge.  The trade off, is that you will be getting implants set into your jaw, but you will still know that your existing teeth are untouched, which means they should continue to be strong and healthy.

Another benefit of implants, is that they offer much more support for an extended bridge.  When multiple teeth need to be replaced, a traditional bridge may not hold up under the extra pressure.  But additional implants can usually be set in place of each missing tooth, dividing the pressure evenly.

One of the benefits of using a dental bridge that is supported by dental implants, is that more implants can be used to support larger dental bridges.  The large the bridge you are going to need, the more implants you will need to support the pressure that the bridge will take.  As a general rule, you can probably expect to receive one dental implant for each tooth that needs to be replaced.  This is not always the case, but it is usually the safest way to make sure that the dental bridge has plenty of support and will last for as long a time as possible.

If you only need a single tooth replaced, you would only get a single implant with an artificial tooth attached to it.  With multiple missing teeth, however, a bridge actually spreads out stress and pressure so it will hold up better under wear and tear than several individual implants with separate teeth attached to them.  This means that for a longer bridge, you may not need an implant for every single tooth that is being replaced.  If possible it may still be the best choice to use one implant per tooth, but sometimes there are other factors in play, which prevent implants from being set in certain places.  Even with bone grafts, some areas may not be able to support an implant if the bone has deteriorated too far.  And some of your original teeth grow near sensitive areas, which may be better avoided.

Most of the reasons to get a dental bridge supported by implants are similar to the reason to get any bridge, implant or other dental fixtures.  These are all designed to replace missing teeth, and there are a number of reasons you would want to do that.  Every tooth you lose affects not only the way you eat, but also how your voice sounds as it resonates in your mouth and throat.  If missing teeth are not replaced, the remaining teeth will begin to shift, which means the way you sound and how you eat will continue to change, and that may take a lot of getting used to.  Getting a bridge or implant will not only replace your missing teeth, but also hold the rest of your teeth in place so that your original mouth shape is preserved.  And then of course, there is the cosmetic appeal.  A bridge or implant can fill the gaps created in your smile by missing teeth, so you don’t feel the need to hide them when taking pictures.

If you are going to get dental fixtures to replace missing teeth, a dental bridge supported by implants can be a valuable option.  This type of bridge allows for the replacement of multiple teeth with out needing any work on the surrounding teeth.  This means you get to restore your bite and your smile, as close to their original conditions as possible, because the only teeth that will be affected are the ones that are already missing.