Dental Bridges
At our office in Encino, a bridge uses a custom-made false tooth or teeth, permanently placed between two crowned teeth to fill in the space left by a missing tooth or teeth in much the same way as a bridge spans a river or bay. The bridge is held in place by porcelain crowns reinforced with metals such as gold and placed at each side of the space in the same manner as a single crown attaches to a single tooth. A bridge can reduce the risk of gum disease, stop the shifting of the remaining teeth including those above the space, and correct bite problems. The space left after a tooth is extracted is the beginning of the end of a personâ?€?™s dental health. We are well aware of this and want you to know the seriousness of this problem. Encino Dentist Dr. Allan Melnick is happy to give you more details on the value and need for bridges if you need them.
 Space from Lost Tooth |
 Space Restored with Porcelain Bridge |
Our dental bridges are made in several unique types, the traditional bridge described above, the cantilever bridge and the Maryland resin bonded bridge. The traditional bridge is now used in almost all cases because of its excellent proven long term success. The cantilever bridge is used when it is not possible to have an anchor on both sides of the space so the false tooth must literally hanging off the attached tooth. A Resin bonded bridge is used when little force will be applied during chewing and the adjacent teeth are not good anchors because of gum and other problems. A resin bonded bridge has two small metal tabs extending over a small area of the adjacent teeth that when cement can hold it in place. Recementation is usually required from time to time.
We usually construct bridges with a metallic framework that is customized for the requirements of the site. Our bridges are made using only high-grade ceramic, quality porcelain, high grade internal metals, porcelain-gold combinations, newly developed resins and other strong dental materials. The use of the older resin materials that were prone to discoloration has been eliminated in our office. While it is possible to make a bridge without metal reinforcement using very new materials, at our Encino office, Dr. Melnick is very conservative and believes that more time is necessary for these materials to prove themselves. While some dentists in our surrounding area, Encino, Tarzana, Sherman Oaks, Woodland hills and Van Nuys, do make all porcelain bridges, the breakage rate has been high and unacceptable to us.
The average life span of a traditional bridge is 8-10 years but can be much longer with meticulous care. We advise patients to avoid placing very hard things in there mouth such as ice, seeds and bones. People who grind their teeth need a night guard acrylic resin appliance to protect their bridges, crowns and natural teeth. It is also necessary to keep the area very clean including the area under the center tooth. This is done by running dental floss under the center and using a device such as a Waterpik. Regular professional check ups and cleanings are very important especially for people with bridges. Encino dentist Dr. Melnick insists that the whole staff work with each bridge patient until they understand fully how to care for their new dentistry.
Bridges offer excellent acceptance by the body, comfortable function and esthetics after tooth loss and have been used for almost one hundred years very successfully for restoring the loss of teeth.
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