What Is An Implant-Supported Bridge?
When you lose a single tooth, an implant supported crown is the treatment of choice. But, when would you need an implant supported bridge? An implant supported bridge can often be the treatment of choice when you are missing a few teeth in a row. In today’s blog, we will explain the ins and outs of the implant supported bridge.
An Implant-Supported Bridge
While a traditional dental bridge is supported by the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth, an implant-supported bridge is supported by implants rather than by natural teeth. While in many cases when an implant-supported bridge is used, one implant is placed in the jawbone for each missing tooth, but there are other cases when your dentist may skip one or more spaces and use less implant posts. The crowns are then connected to each other to form a single prosthetic. There could be a couple reasons for the latter including:
- Not enough healthy jawbone to place an implant
- It’s too close to a nerve or your sinus cavity.
If You Grind and Clench
However, if you grind and clench chronically, which is referred to as bruxing, your dentist will most likely prefer to place a single implant post for each missing tooth. This will help spread the excess pressure across the entire bridge. Because the habit of bruxing puts an excessive amount of pressure on your teeth and, therefore, individual implants, there is a higher chance that the implant posts can become lose and fail.
If you grind and clench, but are considering implant treatment, bring it to the attention of your dentist, and together you can decide which treatment would be best for you.