Tooth Bridges in Santa Monica
Lost teeth impact far more than just your smile's appearance; they can compromise your ability to chew properly, alter your speech patterns, and significantly affect your daily quality of life. Our Santa Monica dental practice creates custom dental bridges that effectively restore both function and aesthetics, helping you regain the comfort and self-assurance that come with a complete smile. Whether tooth loss resulted from injury, disease, or other medical factors, our comprehensive approach ensures you receive the care needed to feel complete once again.
Our experienced dental professionals utilize cutting-edge technology combined with individualized treatment planning to deliver restorations that offer exceptional durability while maintaining a completely natural appearance.
What Is a Dental Bridge?
A dental bridge represents a permanent prosthetic solution designed to span the gap created by one or multiple missing teeth. The restoration consists of replacement teeth (pontics) that receive support from adjacent natural teeth or strategically placed dental implants. Beyond aesthetic restoration, bridges help reestablish proper bite function and preserve optimal tooth positioning.
Based on your specific clinical needs, we may suggest one of these bridge variations:
- Conventional Bridge – Supported by dental crowns placed over adjacent teeth on both sides of the gap.
- Cantilever Bridge – Anchored to a single neighboring tooth when only one suitable support tooth is available.
- Implant-Retained Bridge – Secured to dental implants for enhanced stability and preservation of natural tooth structure.
How to Tell If You Need a Bridge
You might benefit from dental bridge treatment if you have missing teeth and notice:
- Obvious spaces in your smile or alterations in your bite pattern
- Unbalanced chewing forces or discomfort during meals
- Adjacent teeth drifting into vacant spaces
- Speech modifications, particularly difficulty with the specific sound pronunciation
- Temporomandibular joint discomfort resulting from bite misalignment
- Facial profile changes due to loss of dental support structure
Benefits of Teeth Extraction
We know dental visits can be nerve-wracking, especially when an extraction is involved. That’s why we take the time to walk you through each stage, ensuring you’re comfortable and well-informed every step of the way at our Santa Monica practice.
Comprehensive Evaluation
Anesthesia and Sedation
Tooth Removal
Aftercare Instructions
What to Expect From the Bridge Procedure
We streamline the bridge process to ensure comfort, efficiency, and personalized care. Here's your treatment journey at our Santa Monica facility:
- Initial Assessment & Digital Imaging: We conduct comprehensive oral examinations and capture detailed digital impressions to evaluate your dental anatomy. We then discuss optimal bridge options for your specific situation.
- Abutment Preparation or Implant Placement: For traditional bridges, supporting teeth are carefully contoured to accommodate crown placement. When implants are selected, we surgically position titanium fixtures into the jawbone during a dedicated appointment.
- Precision Impressions & Provisional Bridge: We create detailed molds, ensuring perfect bridge fit and function. During fabrication of your permanent restoration, we provide a temporary bridge to maintain comfort and protect your smile.
- Final Assessment & Cementation: Upon completion, we evaluate bridge fit, make necessary adjustments, and permanently cement the restoration. The outcome delivers improved bite strength and a flawless, confident smile.
- Ongoing Care Instructions: Following placement, we provide comprehensive maintenance guidelines and establish follow-up schedules to ensure your bridge remains in optimal condition for maximum longevity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most bridge treatments require two to three appointments completed over several weeks.
