Dr. Cohen’s Implant Dentistry Blog

I currently have crowns on all of my upper teeth. My problem is that on the right side I have a bridge. But the 3 teeth it is attached to have now decayed and I am having to polident my bridge back on daily. I am going to see about getting implants but do not want to go without those 3 teeth while the process is taking place. Not that I cannot do without them but for cosmetic reasons. What is the best temporary fix I can do while I am waiting to have all this other work done to prepare for the implants?
- Loraine from North Carolina

Loraine,
You can use Polident, which is a denture adhesive, for keeping your dental bridge pasted on temporarily. But the problem in doing that is that you’re trapping microscopic food particles and decay bacteria under your bridge every time you stick it back on your teeth. And this will speed up the decay process. I wouldn’t want you to lose these teeth, too.

Not knowing more about your teeth, I don’t know whether this bridge can be made serviceable for you, or if the teeth involved will have to be re-crowned or what. But I can give you some suggestions.

The best would be to have your dentist clean out the decay from these teeth so that it doesn’t grow any more and then reline the bridge with either permanent cement or temporary cement. This will seal those damaged areas of these teeth so that they don’t decay further.

Another possibility which is less desireable but you could do if you really insist on having this bridge on, is to make sure you brush those teeth very thoroughly every time you put it back on, and then rinse with a little hydrogen peroxide before putting the bridge on. Be careful with this, though. If you rinse every day with hydrogen peroxide for two weeks or more, you will foster the growth of yeast in your mouth and you could end up with a yeast infection.

So my advice is to get started with these dental implants to get the process going. Depending on your situation, it may take weeks or months to finish you treatment, so you have to keep these teeth healthy for that amount of time. Spending a little to have your dentist give you an adequate temporary fix for these teeth will save you money in the long run.

Other links:
Read about the options for replacing missing teeth.

My question is regarding some potential orthodontic work I would want to have if it’s feasible to do so. I am having some wisdom teeth removed very soon along with teeth numbers 5 and 12, which need removing as a result of a long period of having no dental access and many years of soft drink consumption. My last dentist wasn’t the most honest man so I didn’t trust his judgment. Anyhow, I was wondering if braces would still be advisable in my case or if I would need something like an implant on each of the sides where there will be an extraction. I also have two crowns (one from an injury and another cavity that got too big) and I was wondering if that would impact my ability to have braces as well.
Ivan in California

Ivan,
You can still have braces even if you have crowns on your teeth.

However, you need to be sure you’ve conquered your decay problem before getting braces. If you’re drinking a lot of soft drinks or snacking a lot, putting braces on could ruin your teeth, because they catch food and can lead to decay unless your mouth is kept pretty clean.

Teeth numbers 5 and 12 are your upper first premolars. You definitely don’t want spaces left there. Implants could be used to replace your missing teeth. Or dental bridges. If the adjacent teeth have a lot of decay, bridges would actually probably make more sense than dental implants.
Dr. Hall

Dr. Cohen,
Can I do long porcelain bridge without dental implants?
- Alma in Massachusetts

Alma,
Yes, you can do a long porcelain bridge and not have to do dental implants. That used to be the best way to replace missing teeth. But there can be serious problems with a long porcelain bridge. Let me explain.

A long dental bridge will have a metal framework, and then porcelain is baked over the top. The longer the bridge, the more it will flex. And there is a lot of pressure on a dental bridge when it is in function. We generate a huge amount of force when we chew. So if you have this long bridge that is flexing during function, this puts a great stress on the teeth at the ends of the span. It can cause a tiny gap to begin to form where the bridge is cemented to the tooth. Or it can weaken the tooth itself and cause it to lose bone support.

When you have only one tooth to replace, it is generally better to have a dental implant than a dental bridge, though there are times when a bridge will be better. The more teeth that are being replaced, the less desirable the bridge becomes and the more desirable the dental implants. Click here to read our implant vs bridge page in our website. There you can see pictures to help you understand what a bridge is and what an implant is.

Another problem with a long dental bridge is that there are many teeth involved. If there is any significant problem with any of the teeth, then the entire bridge needs to be replaced. That doesn’t happen with implants – you can just treat the problem tooth or the problem implant and leave the rest alone if there is any difficulty later.

Links:
Chicago Dental Implants
Clear Choice Chicago complaints

Here is a testimonial from a patient who had Dr. Cohen replace her bridge with a dental implant. She explains how much better it feels: