Dental bridges involve the use of artificial teeth, which receive support from crowns on adjacent teeth. Dental bridges play a key role in replacing missing teeth and allow the mouth to maintain the same shape. This is important in ensuring that people maintain their smiles and speech. The loss of specific teeth can lead to various issues. Additionally, dental bridges can act to prevent the deterioration of the bone structure by filling in the gap and are easy to maintain.
Concerns About Bone Loss
A worry arises as to whether dental bridges cause bone loss. To best understand this, it is critical to review why bone loss occurs in the mouth. Bone loss occurs as a result of trauma to the jawbone due to teeth loss. The bone is no longer stimulated by the tooth root and, as a result, progressively begins to weaken and break down, a process referred to as reabsorption.
Reabsorption is a naturally occurring process that cannot be attributed to dental bridges. However, dental bridges do not prevent their occurrence despite filling the gap left by the teeth. Dental bridges only solve the problem of substituting the tooth crown, hence allowing for functions such as speech and eating.
The problem of an unstimulated jawbone is not resolved. Therefore, the jaw may still recede, resulting in a sunken gum line. This could significantly cause a shift in the remaining teeth and also affect how the mouth looks.
The Nature of Bone Loss and Dental Solutions
Bone loss is a natural occurrence caused by missing teeth, which result in unstimulated bone below the gum due to a loss in the teeth root. Dental bridges neither cause nor prevent bone loss and only act as crown replacements. Dental implants provide a more conclusive way of avoiding bone loss when one loses their teeth. The impact of lost teeth also varies by the number of teeth that have been lost and their positioning.
Are you concerned about the potential impact of dental bridges on your bone health? Contact our office to arrange a consultation with our dental professional.
Dental Blog | Dentist Salem, OR | Fairmount Dental Center Fairmount Dental Center has created this dental blog to help patients and the community. Click to learn more about dental procedures, home care and more! Fairmount Dental Center, 1524 Commercial St. SE, Salem, OR 97302-4310 - (503) 362-8364 - fairmountdentalcenter.com - 1/22/2025 - Page Terms:dentist Salem OR -