Adults typically have 28 natural teeth. Your eight incisors hold and cut food and also help you sense the texture of what you’re eating. Your four canine or cuspid teeth grasp and tear food. Your eight premolars fall between your cuspids and molars. They look a lot like molars but are often called bicuspids because they have two cusps each. Whether you call them premolars or bicuspids, they cut and tear your food. Finally, your eight molars come in pairs in each corner of your mouth. They have wide and relatively flat chewing surfaces to grind your food. As an added bonus, roughly three quarters of people develop a third set of molars — your wisdom teeth in their early 20s.
What’s the point? Not only are no two people’s teeth identical, but the different teeth in your mouth are very different in size, shape, and function, too. When it comes to replacing lost teeth, then, your dentist in Walden needs to carefully consider what kind of teeth are being replaced, where they were located in your mouth, and what function those original and replacement teeth performed and will need to perform. Different teeth are replaced in different ways, including with different types of dental bridges in Walden.
What’s unique about your incisors?
When people refer to their “front teeth,” they’re typically referring to their four incisors on both the top and bottom jaw. There are two especially important factors that a dentist will need to consider when advising you about getting dental bridges near you. First, your incisors are the most visible teeth in your mouth and, between them, make up what is called your “smile zone.” When it comes to replacing those incisors, aesthetic considerations will be uppermost in the mind of a dentist near you.
Second, your incisors don’t experience nearly the same pressures as other teeth in your mouth —your molars in particular. That permits different options for constructing bridges than might be available for other teeth.
Four types of dental bridges for replacing missing front teeth
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Conventional or traditional bridges are mounted on prepared neighbouring teeth with crowns that slip over the top of those natural teeth. The structure suspended between the crowns holds replacement teeth called pontics. To accommodate the crowns, some material must be removed from the natural teeth on either side of the teeth being replaced.
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Cantilever bridges are just like conventional bridges with one exception. Rather than two crowns, a cantilever bridge uses only one crown on one side of the gap. Cantilever bridges are much less common than conventional bridges.
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Maryland bridges are not supported at the ends with crowns placed over neighbouring teeth. Rather, they’re supported by structure that is bonded to the back of neighbouring teeth using specially designed wings and bonding materials. Because no crown needs to be placed over the remaining natural teeth, no material needs to be removed from them. Maryland bridges will not be recommended by a dentist near you if you’re replacing more than one tooth.
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Implant-supported bridges are now considered the most durable and successful option. Implant-supported bridges do not rely or rest on natural teeth at all. Instead, the bridge is connected to posts implanted directly into your jaw bone via abutments. To sustain an implant-supported bridge, patients do require a minimum level of healthy jaw bone density.
What dental bridge option is right for you? As you can see, it depends in part on what teeth are being replaced. There are other factors to consider, though. Those other factors include: how many teeth are being replaced; the health of your jaw and mouth generally; your budget and timeline for completing treatment; your capacity to undergo a range of procedures; and the priority you and your dentist place on preserving the natural tissue of your remaining teeth. To help identify the best option for replacing your teeth — up front or elsewhere — get in touch with a dentist near you.