Learn How Dental Bridges in Phoenix Can Restore Your Smile
Do you have a missing tooth that you wish you could replace without having to undergo the often-lengthy tooth replacement procedure of a dental implant? If so, the following information about dental bridges in Phoenix, AZ, should be of interest to you!
Why Replacing a Missing Tooth is Important
If you’ve recently had a tooth pulled or lost one due to an injury or accident, you’ve likely been advised to have it replaced by the dentist who treated you.
You probably agree that having it replaced is important if the tooth in question was located in the front of your mouth or in an area that others can see when you laugh or smile. However, if the missing tooth is in the back of your mouth where it’s not as noticeable to others, you may wonder whether or not replacing it is as important– especially since you can still eat and chew just fine without it!
What many readers will find surprising is that replacing a missing tooth has more to do with the health of your remaining teeth than it does with the aesthetic appearance of your smile or the functionality of your bite in the short-term.
The keyword in the above sentence is “short-term,” since your remaining teeth will appear to function just fine immediately after you’ve lost your tooth. But over time, your remaining teeth will begin to shift from their location because they no longer have the missing tooth to hold them in place.
Because this process happens gradually over time, many people don’t even realize that their teeth are shifting until they notice that food is suddenly becoming trapped in spaces that previously had never been a problem.
What People Like You Are Saying
Some patients tell us that they never had to worry about the discomfort of trapped food between their teeth until years after a tooth was lost. Over time, little by little, they noticed that it was growing increasingly uncomfortable for them to eat certain foods because those foods were now becoming trapped in between their teeth.
People who never had to carry dental floss or toothpicks with them were suddenly finding they needed to have these oral appliances with them when they ate out in public. Suddenly, they found the spacing of their teeth had changed!
Apart from the discomfort of food being trapped between teeth, trapped food can also lead to an increased risk of dental disease in a patient’s teeth that were once healthy and without decay.
That’s where a “long-term” solution for tooth replacement comes into play.
Long-Term Solutions for Tooth Replacement
One of the most durable treatment options for tooth replacement is a dental implant from a dentist near you in Phoenix. However, this is also one of the lengthier and more expensive tooth replacement procedures. In fact, a dental implant procedure can often require several months of treatment time.
Instead, countless patients choose a dental bridge near them as a quicker treatment method. There are a few reasons for this.
First, getting bridgework done does not require any type of dental surgery, whereas a dental implant often requires bone graft surgery – which can require lengthy healing periods in between procedures.
Another reason to consider a dental bridge as a tooth replacement option versus a dental implant is the number of visits that you’ll have to make to your dentist.
As mentioned, a dental implant procedure averages a several-month treatment time, with multiple visits to your dentist office.
But, depending on the type of bridge that you and your dentist choose for your tooth replacement, your smile can be restored in as few as two visits.
Make a Choice That’s Best for You, Your Smile, and Your Budget
One of the best things about modern dentistry is that patients like you have choices.
Some of you reading this may already know that a dental bridge is the smile restoration procedure that you’re looking for, while others of you may still have questions about a dental implant.
That’s where the caring staff of ESP Dental can help.
We’ll take the time to discuss every option you have to not only replace your missing tooth but to help maintain your oral health for years to come!