A traditional oral bridge rests on teeth beside the missing space. These teeth are called abutment teeth. They need enough strength to support the bridge, but they also need to be reshaped so the crowns attached to the bridge can fit over them.<\/p>\r\n
The dentist removes a small amount of enamel from the outside and top of each supporting tooth. How much comes away depends on the type of bridge and the material being used. The goal is to create enough room for the restoration without weakening the tooth unnecessarily. That balance is important.<\/p>\r\n
Before shaping anything, your dentist checks whether the supporting teeth are suitable. An X-ray may be taken if there are concerns below the gum line or around the roots. Your bite is also assessed because the bridge needs to handle the pressure created when you chew.<\/p>\r\n
If one of the supporting teeth has decay or an old filling that isn’t holding up well, that issue needs attention first. Sometimes the tooth needs another restoration before it can support the bridge. There isn’t much point putting a new bridge over a problem that’s already sitting underneath it.<\/p>\r\n
Local anaesthetic is normally used, so you shouldn’t feel sharp pain while the dentist works. You may notice pressure. You might hear the handpiece too, which is probably the least enjoyable part.<\/p>\r\n
The dentist carefully reshapes the supporting teeth so the future crowns have a clear path for placement. The preparation also creates the space needed for the bridge material. Afterward, an impression or digital scan records the prepared teeth and the missing area, allowing the dental laboratory to create the restoration to those measurements.<\/p>\r\n
\u2022 A little sensitivity afterward is common, especially if the tooth has had a fair amount of work done, but severe or lasting pain deserves a call to the dentist.<\/p>\r\n
\u2022 The shape matters more than it looks. Even a small change can affect how the final bridge seats against the prepared tooth.<\/p>\r\n
\u2022 Your bite gets checked too, and honestly, this is one of those boring steps that’s worth doing properly.<\/p>\r\n
Your prepared teeth can feel different for a few days. Cold drinks may cause some sensitivity. The temporary bridge can also feel slightly unusual at first because your tongue notices every tiny change in your mouth.<\/p>\r\n
But most people adjust quickly. Once the permanent bridge is fitted and your bite has been checked, it should feel much less noticeable. That’s really the point. You shouldn’t spend your day thinking about a dental restoration sitting in your mouth.<\/p>\r\n
Not every tooth beside a gap is strong enough to support a bridge. Significant decay can change the plan. So can advanced damage around the root or poor support from the surrounding tissues.<\/p>\r\n
In that situation, your dentist may recommend treating the tooth first or considering another way to replace the missing tooth. That isn’t a failure of the bridge. It means the supporting foundation needs to make sense before the restoration goes on top.<\/p>\r\n
Visit our page on composite bonding London<\/strong><\/a> to explore treatment options, costs, and expert advice.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Why the Supporting Teeth Need Preparation A traditional oral bridge rests on teeth beside the missing space. These teeth are called abutment teeth. They need enough strength to support the bridge, but they also need to be reshaped so the crowns attached to the bridge can fit over them. The dentist removes a small amount … Continue reading Tooth Preparation for an Oral Bridge<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.envysmile.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.envysmile.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.envysmile.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envysmile.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envysmile.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7041"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.envysmile.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7041\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7142,"href":"https:\/\/www.envysmile.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7041\/revisions\/7142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.envysmile.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envysmile.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.envysmile.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}