Specialties

Dental prosthesis

Fixed Prosthesis over Natural Teeth - Bridge

The fixed dental prosthesis is a treatment by means of artificial dental reproductions, tailor made, that are cemented to natural teeth, previously prepared, which they cover or "sheathe".

With them we get:

  • Restore damaged parts of the teeth.
  • Replacing missing teeth, in which case the teeth that replace the missing natural ones (called pontics) form a continuous structure with the "sheaths" that attach them to the adjacent, worn out natural teeth (called pillars). The name "bridges" has been adopted because, usually, the "covers" are located on both sides of the pontics, as if it were a bridge between the two banks of a river. Sometimes, however, a false tooth "remains in the air" on one side, because it only grabs one or more teeth on the other side, just as a balcony protrudes from the wall, and in this case we talk about bridge in extension (called "cantilever").

Limitations of fixed prostheses

  • The fixed prosthesis is the most comfortable prosthesis and that produces fewer problems, but it is not always possible to perform it and it is more expensive than the removable prosthesis. It provides an almost natural chewing and a very appropriate aesthetic, although it is not always possible to close the spaces that could have been created between the teeth if the gums have retracted, for whose spaces, as happens in similar conditions with natural teeth, when talking saliva and air can escape, producing a certain "lisp."
  • The fixed prosthesis is much more comfortable than the removable prosthesis since, apart from the fact that it does not have to be removed from the mouth to clean it, it does not move either, but it requires a better daily dental hygiene, and a more frequent monitoring by the dentist.
  • The process of natural atrophy of the maxillary bones and gums, with the passage of time, reveals the union between teeth and covers, which become aesthetically compromising and may need to be replaced.
  • Other causes that may make it necessary to replace them are:
  • Irrecoverable lesions in the supporting teeth (pillars), which force them to be extracted.
  • Changes in the shape of the jaws and in the position of the natural teeth, when they alter the occlusion between the upper and lower arches, producing a loss of function.

Adaptation and adjustment

  • The impression is usually that the artificial teeth are too large, a sensation that disappears after a few days.
  • The pronunciation of some sounds may be a bit different, but normalizes after a few days.
  • It is very common to bite your cheeks and tongue unintentionally, because of the tendency of these to enter spaces where teeth were missing, but in a short time you will learn to avoid it.
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