Going the Distance with Your Dental Bridge

Choosing a method to replace your missing tooth isn’t an easy decision. Not only do you need it to function well and feel as natural as possible, but it also needs to look great and ideally last a while. When considering a dental bridge or another prosthetic, you need to think about its potential lifespan because the more frequently you replace your restoration, the more you’ll pay in the long run. Let’s take a closer look at dental bridges in particular, why you might wish to choose one, and how you can make yours go far!

How Long Do Dental Bridges Last?

The exact lifespan of a dental bridge can vary from person to person based on how well they take care of their restoration. For those who don’t properly maintain their traditional bridge or who use it in inappropriate ways, such as to chew hard objects like pencils, ice, and popcorn kernels, this restoration may only last about 5 to 10 years at most from damage and neglect. On the other hand, someone who is careful about how they treat their bridge could go 15 years or more before needing replacement.

In addition, for multiple missing teeth in a row, if you choose to get an implant bridge, which is sometimes called a fixed bridge, the potential lifespan can be even greater with excellent maintenance. In fact, even if the bridge itself needs to be replaced from wear and tear, the implants can last for multiple decades or even the rest of your life!

Why Would You Want to Consider a Dental Bridge?

For a single lost tooth, a dental bridge is often a popular choice for replacement because it tends to cost less initially than an implant. Instead of surgically putting in a brand-new root or implant post, your dentist simply attaches this three-crown restoration onto one tooth on both sides of the gap, which will fill the middle space with a fake tooth. The procedure takes just a few weeks in total, and you have a whole smile again!

What Does Proper Care for a Dental Bridge Look Like?

Some dental work can require a lot of extra maintenance steps. For instance, normal dentures must be removed and at least rinsed off after every meal and soaked every night while you sleep. This typically isn’t the case for bridges because they can come with metal clasps that could react poorly in the denture cleaning solution. Whether you have a traditional bridge or a fixed one, care is exactly the same as that for real teeth.

In other words, to keep your bridge functional and realistic looking, you need to brush and floss your teeth every day and continue to see your dentist at least every six months for regular cleanings and checkups.

In the end, if you ultimately decide to get a dental bridge, you need to know how long you can expect it to last and what you need to do to extend its lifepan so you can be prepared for replacement in the future, if necessary.

About the Practice

Dr. Gregory Craybas has decades of clinical experience and advanced training behind him. He and his team are proud to offer a wide variety of tooth replacement options, including dental bridges, implants, and dentures. We customize treatment to your specific needs and tailor your treatment plan to meet your goals. If you’d like to discuss tooth replacement with Dr. Craybas at Creative Dental Concepts of CNY, just give our office a call at 315-475-6641 or visit our website here.