Dental Bridges in McMinnville, Oregon

What Are Dental Bridges?

Dental bridges are prosthetic teeth typically made of porcelain, ceramic, or metal alloys that “bridge” the gap created by two or more missing teeth between healthy teeth. They consist of crowns (anchor teeth) that dentists place on either side of the gap, next to the healthy teeth to hold the bridge in place. The bridge sits between the anchor teeth and acts like natural teeth, providing biting and chewing capabilities.

What Are the Benefits of Dental Bridges?

  • Restores Your Smile

Missing teeth on either jaw can make for an unpleasant smile. Dental bridges replace these missing teeth, restoring your smile to its former glory. That way, you can face the world more confidently and become comfortable and at ease in social situations.

  • Improves Chewing Capability

People with missing teeth usually eat diets consisting of soft foods and liquids that sometimes don’t offer the best nutritional value. By replacing your missing teeth, you can enjoy your favorite meals and a healthy and nutritious diet.

  • Maintains Your Face’s Natural Shape

Missing teeth leads to the deterioration of the jawbone. Pressure on the jawbone is necessary to stimulate its growth and maintain its structural integrity. Without teeth to apply pressure to the jawbone it deteriorates, giving the face a sunken appearance. Bridges help create this pressure to stimulate jaw bone growth and maintain your face’s natural appearance.



The Dental Bridges Process at All About Smiles Family Dentistry

Initial Consultation and Treatment Plan

Initial Consultation and Treatment Plan

Consultation with one of our dentists marks the first step in the dental bridge process. This consultation forms the basis of the treatment and involves a discussion of your dental goals and a comprehensive mouth and teeth evaluation. The dentist will use information from the evaluation to decide whether to proceed and if so, create a treatment plan for your dental bridge surgery.
Tooth Preparation & Dental Bridge Fabrication

Tooth Preparation & Dental Bridge Fabrication

With the treatment plan ready, the dentist will prepare the anchor teeth by injecting a local anesthetic into the gums near the teeth, numbing the region. Next, they’ll shave bits of enamel off the anchor teeth, creating room for the crown and dental bridge, before using a digital scanner to take impressions of the teeth. These digital scans are emailed to a lab that manufactures the bridges to your specifications.
Final Placement

Final Placement

It takes three to four weeks to fabricate your dental bridges, after which the dentist will call you in to place the bridge. The dentist will place the bridge on the gap and check its fit, comfort, and whether it matches with the rest of the teeth. If everything checks out, the dentist will fix the bridge, make final adjustments, and release you with guidelines for caring for your bridge.

Frequently-Asked Questions About Dental Bridges

Caring for your dental bridge is as easy as brushing and flossing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste at least twice daily. You should also schedule regular dental visits to with a dentist near you to identify issues early on before they get out of hand and avoid hard foods, during the first few weeks after getting your dental bridge.

You’ll likely experience soreness in the gums and teeth the first few days after the procedure which dissipates in the first week or so. Your anchor teeth may also feel slightly sensitive for the first few days. That said, you should heal completely and regain full mouth teeth functionality after two weeks.