Bridges Specialist
Veal Dental Care
Scott Veal, DMD
General and Cosmetic Dentistry located in Dunwoody, GA
A missing tooth can be an eyesore and impact your overall oral health. If you’re missing a tooth, schedule an appointment with Scott Veal, DMD, at Veal Dental Care. Dr. Veal can fit you with a high-quality bridge to make your smile healthy and whole again. Booking a visit is easy: simply call the office in Dunwoody, Georgia, or use the online scheduling tool.
Bridges Q & A
What is a bridge?
A bridge is a dental apparatus that replaces a missing tooth or teeth. It’s a fixed prosthetic, which means it’s permanently bonded.
It’s made up of a fake tooth (called a pontic) custom-built to fill the empty space between your teeth. It’s called a bridge because it quite literally bridges the gap in your smile.
What are the different types of bridges?
There are a few different systems for connecting your bridge to your abutment teeth, including:
Traditional bridge
A traditional bridge uses two crowns to keep the pontic in place. The pontic has a crown sealed to either side of it, each of which Dr. Veal bonds to your abutment teeth to hold it in place.
Cantilever bridge
A cantilever bridge functions just like a traditional bridge, but instead of two crowns, it only connects to one. The single crown is bonded to the pontic and sealed to an abutment tooth.
Maryland bonded bridge
In a Maryland bonded bridge, the pontic has a ceramic or metal framework attached to it. Dr. Veal bonds that framework to the backside of your abutment teeth. Maryland bonded bridges are good options for patients whose abutment teeth can’t support crowns.
What are the benefits of a bridge?
By replacing your missing tooth, a bridge improves your oral health in several ways. It improves your ability to speak and chew, prevents your remaining teeth from drifting out of place, and distributes the force in your bite more evenly.
A bridge also enhances your appearance by maintaining the shape of your face and filling in the gaps where you were missing teeth.
How is a bridge different than dentures?
Bridges and dentures both replace missing teeth, so it’s easy to get them confused. The difference between bridges and dentures is their permanence in your smile.
Dentures are removable, whereas bridges are fixed. When you opt for a bridge, Dr. Veal permanently bonds it to your teeth, where it feels, functions, and looks just like a natural part of your smile.
Make your missing tooth a thing of the past. Schedule your bridge consultation with Dr. Veal today by calling Veal Dental Care or booking a visit online.
