Dental Bridges

Modesto, Manteca, Ceres, Turlock, Salida, Ripon, California Dentist

Caring Family Dentistry

At Sierra Dental Care, we frequently perform repairs to cracked or broken teeth. When a broken tooth cannot support a dental crown, a different type of restoration, called a dental bridge, might be ideal to replace it.

Replacing Missing Teeth

When a tooth is lost or irreparably broken, it should be replaced
not only to help with chewing food, but also to protect the gums
and bone that surrounded the tooth. There are several ways you
can repair a broken tooth or replace one that is missing:

• Dental Crown
• Dental Implant
• Dental Bridge
• Partial Dentures (for multiple teeth)
• Full Dentures (for all teeth on the top or bottom)

The treatment which is best for you will be determined by the surrounding teeth, bone, and gum tissue. If your bone and gum tissue are healthy, often your dentist will recommend a dental implant. However, when the gum or bone tissue is no longer capable of supporting an independent tooth, often a dental bridge will be the treatment of choice.

Making a Dental Bridge

If one of our Modesto family dentists determines that a dental bridge is the best treatment for your missing tooth, he or she will shape the neighboring supporting teeth to be able to support the bridge. A bridge is comprised of one or more false teeth supported by two or more crowns. The teeth to which the crowns will be cemented are shaved down so the crowns can be attached to them without interfering with adjoining teeth.

After the supporting teeth are reshaped, your dentist will take an impression of the area from which the dental bridge can be created to exactly fit your existing teeth. Usually, a temporary dental bridge can be worn while the permanent one is being created.

Once your permanent dental bridge is installed, it can behave like your natural teeth, with the exception that you will need to floss between the crowns and false tooth differently, since they will all be connected. At Sierra Dental Care we will instruct you how to care for your new bridge.

If you are in the Modesto, Salida, Manteca, Ripon, Ceres, or Turlock areas of California and would like to find out more about dental bridges, please contact the experienced Modesto dentists at Sierra Dental Care today to schedule your appointment.