Dental Bridges in Scarborough

The main variables are how many teeth the bridge spans and the material used for the crowns and replacement tooth. Upfront, a bridge usually costs less than an implant, though it does involve reshaping the two anchor teeth. Many insurance plans contribute, and CDCP may apply for eligible patients. After examining your mouth, we put a written quote in your hands before any work begins.

A well-maintained bridge commonly serves ten to fifteen years, and plenty last longer. The deciding factors are the ongoing health of the two anchor teeth and how consistently the area underneath the replacement tooth is kept clean. We inspect your bridge at every routine exam, watching for early warning signs long before they become problems you would notice yourself.

Weigh four things: your timeline, your bone, your neighbouring teeth, and your comfort with surgery. A bridge finishes in weeks without a surgical step but requires reshaping the flanking teeth. An implant preserves those neighbours completely and stimulates the bone, but unfolds over months and involves a minor surgery. Neither is universally better — we walk you through how each applies to your mouth and let you decide.

The anchor teeth are thoroughly numbed before any shaping starts, so the appointment itself should involve pressure at most, not pain. In the days afterward, mild soreness or temperature sensitivity around the prepared teeth is normal and comparable to how a tooth feels after a large filling. It settles as the teeth adjust, and the temporary bridge protects them in the meantime.

Two, in the typical case. The first appointment covers reshaping the anchor teeth, recording the impression, and placing your temporary bridge. A few weeks later, once fabrication is complete, the second visit is for fitting, adjusting, and permanently cementing the final bridge. Between the two, the temporary keeps your bite comfortable and the prepared teeth protected — if it ever loosens, call us and we will re-secure it.

Yes — that is much of the point. Once the permanent bridge is cemented, chewing feels substantially like it did before the tooth was lost, and foods that were awkward to manage with a gap come back onto the menu. Sensible caution applies, as with any restoration: very hard items like ice, and aggressively sticky candies, put unnecessary strain on the cement and are better enjoyed sparingly.

Everything except the underside cleans like normal teeth. The space beneath the replacement tooth is the special zone — ordinary flossing cannot drop between connected units, so you slide floss underneath using a floss threader, or use a small interdental brush shaped for the job. It takes a few days to become habit. We demonstrate the technique at your fitting appointment until you are comfortable doing it yourself.

Because the bridge functions as one connected unit, a cavity or fracture in an anchor tooth affects the whole restoration, and treating it sometimes means removing or remaking the bridge depending on severity. This is precisely why diligent cleaning around the margins and regular checkups matter so much with a bridge — caught early, most problems in a supporting tooth are small and manageable.