Dental Bridges in Vancouver, WA

Dental Bridges Vancouver

Don’t Let a Missing Tooth Get in the Way of a Perfect Smile!

Having a gap in your mouth can leave you feeling less confident and attractive than you would with a full set of teeth. Fortunately, you have multiple restorative dentistry options to address this problem, one of which is a dental bridge. True to its name, a dental bridge is a prosthetic device that “bridges” a gap created by a missing tooth or adjacent missing teeth. Dr. Julie Jang often recommends dental bridges for patients who are looking for a secure, cost-effective solution to complete their smiles.

Exciting Benefits of Dental Bridges

  • Beautifying your smile: With a missing tooth, you may be less inclined to smile. Dental bridges use realistic-looking artificial teeth that match your other teeth so that you can flash a smile without anyone being able to tell you have bridges.
  • Protecting your teeth’s alignment: When there is an empty space between your teeth, the adjacent teeth naturally start to drift toward the openness. Hence, a bridge can protect the straightness of your teeth.
  • Restoring your bite: Chewing can be a challenge with a missing tooth, and you may do long-term damage to your biting motion by trying to avoid chewing food in an area with a missing tooth. With a bridge, you can eat normally again without developing jaw pain.
  • Improving your speech: Often, having a missing tooth leads to slurring or a speech impediment. By replacing a missing tooth, you should hear your normal speech return.
Dental bridges treatment Vancouver

Which Dental Bridge Options Does Dr. Julie Offer?

Dr. Julie can utilize one of four different dental bridges. After examining your mouth, she can recommend the appropriate type for your unique situation.

Fixed Bridge

The most common kind of bridge is the fixed bridge. Dr. Julie attaches crowns to your teeth on both sides of the gap in your mouth. These crowns hold the prosthetic tooth (or row of prosthetic teeth) in place, thereby filling in the hole.

Cantilever Bridge

A cantilever bridge is similar to a fixed bridge, except that it only relies on a single crown to hold the prosthetic teeth in place. While this makes the cantilever bridge a moderately less secure option, it is a good compromise when there are not teeth on both sides of the gap to attach crowns. You may also prefer to have fewer crowns overall.

Maryland Bridge

Instead of using crowns, Dr. Julie can provide a Maryland bridge, which uses a porcelain structure to attach to your natural teeth and hold the prosthetic piece in position. For this option, you must have natural teeth on both sides of the gap.

Implant-Supported Bridge

Another crown-free option is to use dental implants to secure your bridge. This is a more involved and somewhat more expensive option compared to other bridges, but it is a way to get the security of dental implants without needing to replace each missing tooth individually.

Discuss Dental Bridges with Dr. Julie

If you want to restore a full and functional smile, a dental bridge may be the ideal restorative solution. To devise a plan that works best for you, please schedule an appointment at Harmony Family Dentistry by calling (360) 882-7866 at your soonest convenience.