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