Complete Your Smile With A Quality, Custom Dental Bridge
Losing one or more teeth can be a frustrating experience, one that many adults face as they grow older. A quality dental bridge can restore your healthy bite as well as the aesthetics of your complete smile. OKC Dental Arts provide high-quality, custom restorations for Oklahoma City patients, including traditional and implant-supported bridges. Our practice uses only the finest, durable materials to create bidges, including IPS e.max® ceramics. Our most popular dental bridge is made with advanced, premium zirconia, which resists chipping and stains and provides a remarkably life-like appearance.
Tooth Loss Can Affect Your Quality Of Life
For patients struggling with loose, damaged, or missing teeth, a dental bridge can provide significant improvement to their smile and quality of life. With a quality bridge, you can expect to enjoy a normal diet again. Equally important, you can smile with confidence, knowing you look your best.
Traditional Restorations
Designed to fill gaps left by one or more missing teeth with porcelain prosthetics, a standard bridge is secured by dental crowns placed on surrounding, healthy teeth. Traditional bridges are usually made of a combination of metal and ceramics. Your custom bridge will be designed by Dr. Fling and Dr. Cord to snugly fit the contours of your smile, properly supporting your facial features and providing full oral function. The bridge will also help to prevent problems such as shifting and overgrowth in adjacent and opposing teeth. With proper care, traditional dental bridges can last for 10 to 15 years or more.
Implant-Supported Bridges
For an optimal restorative solution, Dr. Fling and Dr. Cord recommend dental implants and implant-supported restorations for our patients. Implants are titanium posts that are surgically placed in the jaw to replace the roots of lost teeth. These posts can fuse with the jawbone to provide permanent, enhanced stability and security for your dental bridge. Implant-supported bridges allow you to eat an unlimited selection of foods, and eliminate any concerns about your restoration feeling unnatural or weaker than your own teeth.
This treatment option also provides important oral health benefits. Because dental implants stimulate the jawbone, they prevent bone loss from occurring – a natural side effect of tooth loss. Your restoration will send regenerative signals to your jaw, maintaining your bone density and lowering the risk of future tooth loss.
Treatment By Dr. Fling and Dr. Cord
If you are receiving a traditional bridge, Dr. Fling and Dr. Cord will first prepare the teeth that are on either side of the gap in your smile. They will remove a small amount of enamel to create a stable base for your restoration. Once these teeth are prepared, our team will take highly accurate impressions to create your bridge. It typically takes up to two weeks to finish the fabrication process, and we can provide a temporary one while you wait. Once your final restoration is complete, we will secure it in place to restore your smile.
If you are receiving an implant-supported bridge, our team will first assess your candidacy for dental implants, using high-tech diagnostic equipment to analyze your jaw bone density. If you do not have sufficient bone tissue, you may require a bone graft prior to receiving dental implants. During an outpatient procedure, you will receive two or more implant posts. Over the next three to six months, your jaw will heal and fuse with the posts. Dr. Fling and Dr. Cord will work together with your oral surgeon, and oversee your recovery. He can also design and place a temporary bridge to wear while your jaw heals.
Restore Your Smile
You are in excellent hands with Dr. Fling and Dr. Cord. Dr. Fling has more than 30 years experience helping patients restore healthy, beautiful smiles. If you are struggling with missing teeth or a failing dental appliance, please contact our team online or call (405) 848-6743 today.