If you are exploring your options for replacing missing teeth, dental bridges are likely one of the first choices you have considered. In addition to restoring the appearance of your smile, dental bridges can provide several other benefits that make them an excellent tooth-replacement option. Here are three benefits of dental bridges.
1. Improve Chewing and Speaking
Missing teeth is more than an aesthetic flaw. Many people don't consider the functional problems that come with lost teeth. We depend heavily on our teeth for many of the sounds that we make while speaking, and chewing certain foods can be difficult or impossible depending on which teeth have been lost.
Installing a dental bridge can completely restore this lost functionality that is caused by missing teeth. Dental bridges resolve pain and sensitivity from eating with missing teeth, as they keep pieces of food from pressing on the gums, and they can restore the confidence and feeling of well-being that speaking clearly provides.
2. Support Surrounding Teeth
You may not be aware that losing teeth can have a negative impact on surrounding teeth. The force of adjacent teeth pressing against each other helps to prevent your teeth from shifting. When you are missing teeth, the teeth next to the gap will often begin to move inward toward the new space.
Because dental bridges are often placed using wires or brackets on adjacent teeth, they provide the same support that natural teeth do. A dental bridge will help keep the rest of your teeth in the proper alignment by preventing shifting that would otherwise occur.
3. Prevent Jawbone Deterioration
Your teeth also play an important role in keeping your jawbone healthy. Tooth roots extend past the gums and anchor into the jawbone. This stimulates the jawbone and causes it to continually repair itself around your tooth roots. When teeth are no longer in place, this lack of stimulation causes the body to begin to resorb portions of your jawbone.
Unlike dentures, dental bridges provide stimulation to the jawbone that can prevent it from deteriorating. This also prevents changes in the shape of the face that often come with lost teeth. The jawbone stimulation of dental bridges reduces the risk of losing additional teeth as well.
Dental bridges are one of the best solutions for replacing missing teeth. Keep the advantages of dental bridges in mind when choosing a tooth replacement option so you can make the right choice for the health of your smile.
