Oklahoma City Dental Bridge

Dental bridge diagram for Oklahoma City dentist Dr. ForthDental bridges, also known as fixed partial dentures, can be made from a variety of materials that offer different levels of quality in terms of maintaining a patient's healthy bite and appearance. For patients in Oklahoma City who are looking for a high-quality, natural-looking dental bridge, Dr. Michael Forth offers a range of options for replacing missing teeth.

What is a dental bridge?

A dental bridge is an artificial tooth or set of teeth used to replace a missing tooth or small number of adjacent missing teeth. Unlike a removable partial denture, a bridge is permanently fixed in the mouth by placing crowns on the two teeth adjacent to the gap and then anchoring the bridge to hang between these teeth and fill the gap. (See the diagram at right.)

When the bridge replaces front teeth, it should be made of high-quality porcelain which can be shaded and expertly shaped to match the surrounding teeth. Getting a dental bridge usually takes two visits. At the first visit, Dr. Forth will prepare the anchor teeth, make an impression for the permanent bridge, and fit the patient with a temporary bridge. An expert ceramist, working at an off-site lab, will craft the permanent porcelain bridge. On the second visit, the permanent bridge will be placed.

Ovate Pontic: The key to a natural-looking dental bridge

Dr. Forth has years of experience performing the complicated ovate pontic technique, which involves careful preparation and shaping of the patient's gumline so that the artificial teeth in the dental bridge appear to be growing out of the gum, just like natural teeth. You can see an example of this preparation in the pictures, below. On the left is the patient with teeth and gums prepared to receive a dental bridge. On the right, the patient after the finished dental bridge has been placed.

Dental bridge before picture depicting ovate pontic technique Expert dental bridge by Oklahoma dentist Dr. Michael Forth.

Dental bridge versus implants

Another option for replacing missing teeth are dental implants. Dental implants are extremely strong artificial root forms made of titanium. These forms are placed in the patient's jawbone by an oral surgeon and serve as replacements for the natural roots of the missing teeth. The implant bonds and grows together with the bone of the jaw, forming a very strong support for the porcelain crown that is placed over the top, visible, portion of the implant. This replacement tooth is also made of high-quality porcelain and crafted to look just like the surrounding teeth. The advantage of having a dental implant to replace a missing tooth is that there is no need to grind down healthy adjacent teeth to have crowns placed on them. With a dental bridge, if the anchor teeth require dental work at a later point, the entire bridge must be removed and replaced in addition to having the work on those anchor teeth performed. You can learn more about the pros and cons of each option by visiting our Bridge Versus Implants page.

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