A dental bridge can last for almost a lifetime. However, at some point, dental bridge repairs are necessary. Problems such as a loose-fitting bridge or the presence of chips and cracks may cause issues that will affect your oral health.
If you have questions about dental bridge repairs or dental bridges in general, this article will guide you through the information that you need. We will also discuss some of the reasons why dental bridges fail to extend their lifespan. You can check out ADC Dubbo’s family dental services and ask them about their dental bridges.
What Is A Dental Bridge?
When you lose a tooth, it is inevitable for empty spaces to form. The presence of these gaps can shift the remaining teeth and affect their arrangement causing changes in your smile. Luckily, the use of dental bridges can help prevent this scenario from happening.
You can restore and replace your missing teeth with dental bridges. It is one of the most common fixed appliances that is used to mend the gaps between your teeth. A false tooth can mount beside supporting teeth with the help of a dental crown, allowing you to get back the confidence of having a great smile.
How Long Does A Dental Bridge Last?
Generally, a dental bridge can last anywhere from five years up to more than a decade. With proper care and maintenance, some people can keep their dental bridges for more than twenty-five years.
How long your dental bridge will last depend on how well you look after it. Based on a variety of factors, you can determine your dental bridge’s lifespan from its craftsmanship, location, and materials used.
What Causes Dental Bridge Failure?
Many factors contribute to dental bridge failure. Some common causes that may lead to needing a dental bridge repair are the following:
Poor Oral Hygiene
The primary reason for a dental bridge to fail is due to poor oral hygiene. When decay builds up around, and under the dental crown, it can cause damages to the supporting teeth and often result to bridge failure.
Regular Wear and Tear
Depending on the material used for your dental bridge, normal wear and tear can lead to gradual damages over time.
Poor Abutment Support
A dental bridge may have a reduction in its stability because of changes within the supporting teeth. Instability from the surrounding teeth can cause uneven distribution of pressure, leading to dental bridge failure.
Bad Dental Habits
Do you enjoy biting and chewing through hard objects? Do you have a habit of grinding your teeth at night? These fixations can cause damages to your crowns and lead to the presence of cracks and chips in your dental bridges.
Contact Sports
Close contact on several sports and combat fighting activities can cause accidental face and head injuries that lead to dental bridge failure.
Accidents and Trauma
Unnecessary injuries due to accidental slipping and falling, as well as physical damages due to altercations, can cause severe damages to your dental bridges.
Lack of Dental Care
Other than good oral hygiene, it is essential to have regular visits to your dentist. There are several aspects that are not noticeable using bare eyes, and only experts can detect them. If you fail to visit the dentist frequently, you won’t get to know if there are any problems with your bridges.
Why Should I Ask for a Dental Bridge Repair?
A dental bridge failure can lead to further decay and damages to your teeth. If you keep on wearing a loose-fitting or damaged dental bridge, you may find negative effects on its overall function.
Failing to take care of your oral hygiene while having a broken dental bridge can cause germs and bacteria to target its surrounding teeth. The dental bridge’s underlying frame and coating will soon lose their purpose, causing the abutment teeth to receive too much pressure. Your dental bridge may cause several fractures, tooth decay, or worse, tooth loss without any support.
What Happens During Dental Bridge Repairs?
Dental bridge repairs are often done depending on the severity of the damage. You can classify it into two parts:
1. Outer coating and other external problems
When the damages are along with the dental bridges’ outer coating, a dentist can quickly repair it by themselves. Dentists are well-equipped with bonding materials and professional-grade cement, strong adhesives that allow fixing external structures and layers.
2. Framework and underlying metal
If a dental bridge’s damage affects its structure, there is a higher chance for a complete dental bridge replacement. A dental laboratory will use your existing bridge as a guide to creating a more recent version.
When Should I Have My Dental Bridge Repairs?
If you happen to be aware of the problems, you should talk to your dentist as soon as possible. Keeping a broken or loose dental bridge will not make sense because it is not going to be functional at all. Additionally, it can only get worse because plaque and cavities will begin to build up.
Early detection of the signs of broken dental bridges can help you prevent further damages. If you feel any cracks, tooth sensitivity, or something else that is uncomfortable or doesn’t feel right, do not hesitate to consult your dental care provider.
References
What Is Diastema? Noticeable Gaps Between The Teeth. (Christiansen S., 2020).
https://www.verywellhealth.com/diastema-4801918#
False Teeth: What You Should Know (Gotter A., 2018).
https://www.healthline.com/health/false-teeth
Teeth Grinding (Foley L., 2020).
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/bruxism
