How Long Does a Dental Bridge Last?

On average, dental bridges last about ten years for most people, which helps justify the immediate cost of the work.  While it may not seem like an important or immediate concern to replace a missing tooth, the missing tooth can cause more serious and long term complications in your dental health.  You may end up paying more to repair problems caused by your missing tooth than you would to replace your missing tooth with a dental bridge.

When you and the dentist determine that a dental bridge is the next best step in your treatment plan, you may want to know why the dentist chose a bridge as the right solution for you.  When you have a missing tooth, the surrounding teeth are more susceptible to decay and the gum tissue is more open to gum inflammation and disease. What's more, the surrounding teeth are more likely to shift without a tooth to keep them in place.  This shifting can cause issues with chewing, talking, biting and even your temporomandibular joint.

With a strong daily dental care routine and consistent professional cleanings and appointments, your dental bridge can last longer than ten years.  In some cases, it can last a lifetime!

Why Dental Bridges Fail

Dental bridges are dependent on the surrounding teeth to support the replacement tooth and in the case of traditional bridges, the surrounding teeth are fitted with crowns.  While the crowns are strong and protective of the teeth, the natural tooth must be filed and have the enamel removed to be properly bonded to the crown.  Without the natural enamel, the tooth is at more of a risk of decay the gums are more available to gum disease.  If the supporting tooth can’t support the bridge, the bridge will fail.

Preventing Dental Bridge Failure

The first way to care for your dental bridge is to take care in your food choices and opting for foods that are not too hard to chew, very sticky, very sugary, or very acidic.  Those foods can put unnecessary pressure on the bridge or create more opportunities to damage the teeth under the crowns.  If you really enjoy raw nuts, caramels, taffies, popcorn, chewy candy, hard crunchy candy, or even crunching ice, your dental bridge will suffer from the added wear and tear.  The sugar and starch from foods can provide the right texture and opportunity for decay and gum disease in the more vulnerable area where your bridge is.

Caring for Dental Bridges

Not only will your dentist help keep your teeth and gums healthy, but they will monitor your bridge.  As long as the bridge remains in place and provides a proper bite, then the dentist should not have to replace it anytime sooner.  At home, be sure to brush and floss daily.  Talk to the dentist about special brushing and flossing techniques to ensure your gums, teeth and bridge stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible.

More information on dental bridges : Options for Non Implant Missing Teeth Replacement