Bridges

At Lockswood Dental Practice, we can provide you with a dental bridge as a solution to replace missing teeth, restore chewing and improve your smile.

An alternative to dentures is that they work by bridging the gap caused by a missing tooth using the support of your natural teeth or crowns adjacent to the gap. Here at Lockswood Dental Practice, we will provide you with the support and knowledge to look after your bridge.

Types of bridges

Depending on your individual requirements, there are different types of bridges.

• Conventional bridge – Held in place by crowns that are bonded to the supporting teeth.
• Cantilever bridge – Uses a single adjacent tooth as a support. This reduces the need to crown multiple teeth.
• Maryland bridge – An adhesive bridge. The benefit of this form of bridge is that the false tooth can be bonded to the adjacent tooth by a small metal wing without the need for a crown. It requires very little adjustment of the natural tooth nearby and is more conservative.

Benefits

Protects your teeth from further problems
Replacing missing teeth reduces the likelihood of issues related to tooth loss, including premature tooth wear, tooth movement, bone loss, and infection.

Build back your confidence
With a full smile again, you are likely to feel much more at ease smiling around others, helping you regain vital confidence.

The foods you love are back on the menu
Gaps in your teeth can make eating certain foods feel like an ordeal. A bridge is fixed in your mouth, giving you the freedom to choose whatever foods you like without the worry that they will be a challenge to chew.

Supports your facial structure
A bridge fills out the lip area, which can fall inwards when you lose teeth. It also lifts the cheek area, leading to a more youthful face shape.

Put simply, a bridge can help you recognise the real you again! Your bridge will be made to measure in the dental laboratory, and the crowns will match your remaining natural tooth shade.

The process (Over the course of 2-3 appointments)

Step 1: Treatment prep
At the first appointment, supporting teeth are prepared and shaped for the crown or crowns to be placed.

Step 2: Dental lab
A digital scan or impressions of the supporting teeth are obtained and sent to our partner dental laboratory. They will then make your bridge custom-fit your mouth. This usually takes 2 weeks.

Step 3: Fitting the bridge
The bridge is fitted and cemented into place once we have checked your bite and the aesthetics are correct.

Step 4: Aftercare
Your dentist will explain everything you need to know about caring for your bridge. We may also suggest booking a visit with our dental hygienist to discuss oral hygiene, as there are additional aspects to consider when you have a dental restoration, such as a bridge. They can set you on the path to maintaining a healthy mouth, helping you to minimise tooth loss in the future.

Why choose us?

At Lockwood Dental Practice, our focus is on preventive dentistry. Much as we love to see our patients and care for their smiles, ideally, we want to make sure you’re not coming to us often for advanced restorative procedures.

Instead, we will help you aspire to keep advanced restorative procedures to a minimum so you can keep your natural teeth for as many years as possible.

We love the relationships we have built with our patients, and our team are respectful and kind and always looks forward to seeing you. The community feel of the practice is something we will always strive to nurture.

For more information regarding this treatment

Call 01489 574 046 Contact