Problems with Dental Bridges

 

Though the problems with dental bridges that dentists and patients face are pretty straight-forward, there isn’t a lot that a person can say about dental bridges without discussing the common problems that occur. Dental bridges are very highly approved of in the dental world, and are the most common solution for replacing missing teeth. The reasons of course vary as to why a person would have missing teeth, but missing teeth can cause long term complications for any person so most dentists suggest a treatment like dental bridges to replace missing teeth. When it comes to bridge problems there are many common problems that can be explained if it is understood how a dental bridge works.

 

The dental bridge is, as was mentioned before, a solution to replace missing teeth. This of course means that a gap must be filled where there are no teeth before. The appliance used to fill this gap is known as a dental bridge. Dental bridges require that the teeth on either end of the appliance serve as the anchors for the bridge. This means that the two healthy teeth on either end of the gap be whittled down until they are shaped properly for a dental crown to be fitted over them, this crown is attached by the abutments to the pontics, or fake teeth in the middle. A dental bridge can be for one missing tooth or many more and serves as a more permanent solution to the missing teeth. Complications are not to regular, but they can occur.

 

Common Problems

The most common problems a person with dental bridges will come up against include: fractures, decay and infection, pain.

 

Fracturing Problems

Because of the process necessary to adhere a dental bridge to the natural teeth left in the mouth on either side of the missing teeth, a natural tooth is weakened, trimmed or whittled down until it is just a nub on which the appliance can be anchored. The stress of the bridge appliances can lead to multiple reactions in your mouth, the first one is fracturing. This is when the actual dental bridge cracks at a weak spot in the bridge causing many different problems with dental bridges. A dental bridge can crack under the pressure if your bite mechanics were not measured properly by the dentist. A dentist may also install the bridge improperly and then bridge problems occur. Fracturing leads to a complicated process of trying to repair the bridge and its abutments. Some doctors can use etching, and bonding, and can restore the tooth carefully to the proper position but a repair runs the risk of simply fracturing again.

 

Decay and Infection Problems

This is the situation you want to see the least of, but it is the most common of the problems with dental bridges that arise after a dental bridge has been installed into the mouth of the patient. Dental bridges are nothing more than a cap or crown sealed and bonded onto two nubs or abutment teeth that stand as the anchors against further tooth loss. The bridge problems arise if the dental bridge cap is not affixed properly to the abutment teeth. If there is too much spacing between the crown and the tooth that was trimmed by the dentist then the crown can have room for food or debris to catch. This debris can rot and that can lead to decay growing near the tooth and eventual infection. Almost all research will tell you that after 10 or so years the sealants for dental bridges will crack and these devastating particles will make their way to catch in the teeth.

 

Pain

It is normal to have pain after having a dental bridge installed in the mouth. But like other problems, pain is going to be the first sign of something gone wrong with the dental bridge. If the pain lasts longer than a week after the initial installation, or comes after the recuperating time then its important to get the bridge checked by a dentist who can make sure the dental bridge fits properly and there is no infection or other common problems.

When it comes to dental bridges there is a tub full of information about how they can help you when you suffer from missing teeth. Dental bridges are the middle road to a good solution and if there is a more extensive problem, dental bridges can provide what dental implants can’t. Showing favoritism in dental bridges is not something many people do, but in comparison to the other options out there dental bridges are very sensible. That is until a patient suffers from problems with dental bridges like fracturing.

 

There are two types of fracturing that can occur when dental bridges are installed in the mouth. Both can happen from failure of the dentist to install the bridges properly, or to measure the mechanics of the patients bite properly. When dental bridges are installed they rest all the weight of the bite on two teeth that area adjacent to the missing teeth. These teeth are known as the abutment teeth. Dental bridges are crowns that have a fixed false tooth or pontic between the dental crowns. That means that if a bite is not properly accounted for the pressure can become so severe the porcelain will actually fracture.

 

There is another kind of problem that occurs though, and this problem is the problem of dental bridges causing the organic teeth holding the dental bridge in the mouth to crack. If a dental bridge cracks that’s one thing. If the actual anchoring teeth crack, it’s very serious. Make sure you choose a good dentist.

 

There isn’t a lot that goes wrong with dental bridges, I mean that’s not to say that they are perfect, and yes problems happen. But dental bridges have many advantages over things like dental implants which require a long time for recuperation and can cost a lot. Dental bridges include the fact that the dental bridge procedure requires that two healthy teeth be sacrificed for the replacement of the one missing tooth. Most dentists will suggest that you get a dental implant for just one missing tooth, and implants are very nice appliances. They look very normal and can be treated just like a real tooth. But dental bridges have something dental implants don’t. When it comes to replacing many teeth, a dental bridge is a single implant and a sing procedure.

 

So what’s the downside to replacing many teeth with a dental implant? Well the fact that two healthy teeth must be sacrificed for the abutment installation. Meaning two healthy teeth are trimmed down so the piece can be fit inside the gap. If a dentist isn’t careful those appliances can fit poorly in the mouth, and can actually ride incorrectly on the teeth they were affixed too. The teeth if not tightly fit in the crowns, will actually catch debris and can begin to decay. Infection can spread. Also the pressure from the bridge can cause the natural teeth to crack and that can lead to more problems. When getting dental bridges make sure you find a dentist with a good track record.

 

When it comes to dental bridges there are many different things that should be considered as pros and cons before any decision is made. But some of the worst problems with dental bridges are important factors to who you choose to do the job. Getting a dentist who knows what he is doing and has a great track record is one of the only ways that you are going to make sure you avoid these problems. And remember problems are not common, but they are severe when they do occur.

 

Of course a dental bridge, which is an appliance that is anchored to two healthy teeth on either side of the bridge, is just one big porcelain object waiting to crack. It is forced to chomp down for eating and to bear the pressure of day-to-day habits. Dental bridges are therefore prone to breakage, it doesn’t happen often but if a dental bridge breaks you will feel it. Dental bridges can also break your teeth. This happens when the pressure of wearing the bridge ends up wearing into a weak point in the anchoring tooth. That pressure will cause the tooth to crack. A cracked tooth is going to be a target for pain, lots of it, as well as debris that can get in under the bridge and cause decay and infection to set in.

 

Dental bridges are simply crowns on top of teeth that have been trimmed down way past the point where they can protect themselves from decay, since there enamel has been trimmed away. It is important that a person with a dental bridge is very careful in their care of the dental bridge in their mouth.