Replacing Missing Teeth in Norwood
A gap in your teeth can make chewing awkward and leave you smiling with your mouth closed. Over time, nearby teeth may also drift toward the space.
A bridge restores the missing tooth with something you don't remove. Dr. Kaceli plans it so it matches the color and shape of your other teeth and fits your bite.
How Bridges Are Built
Every bridge has a replacement tooth, called a pontic, held between supports on either side. What those supports are is the main difference between bridge types.
- Supported by natural teeth. Crowns are placed on the healthy teeth beside the gap, and the pontic is attached between them.
- Implant-retained bridges. Dental implants act as the supports, so neighboring natural teeth are left alone. This is often used when several teeth in a row are missing.
- A combination. One side rests on a natural tooth and the other on an implant.
Dr. Kaceli will recommend the type that protects the most natural tooth structure while still giving you a strong, stable result.
Planning an Implant-Retained Bridge
Implant bridges start with a look at the bone. Our Norwood office has CBCT 3D cone-beam imaging, which gives Dr. Kaceli a 360-degree view of your jaw in a scan that takes about 30 seconds. That view helps with deciding where implants go.
If the bone needs to be built up first, periodontist Dr. Milagros Serrano, DDS, is on our team. Her focus includes implants and bone augmentation. Read more about dental implants in Norwood.
Your Bridge Treatment, Step by Step
For a bridge on natural teeth, the process usually looks like this:
- Preparing the supporting teethAfter numbing the area, Dr. Kaceli shapes the teeth next to the gap so crowns can fit over them. Sedation is available if you feel anxious.
- Taking impressionsImpressions capture the shape of your teeth so the bridge can be made to fit.
- Bonding the bridgeThe finished bridge is bonded to the supporting teeth.
- Final checksDr. Kaceli checks the fit, your bite and the shade so the bridge feels and looks right.
An implant-retained bridge takes longer, since the implants need a few months to heal before the bridge is attached.
Living With Your Bridge
Brush twice a day and clean under the pontic daily with a floss threader or water flosser. Regular cleanings in Norwood help keep the supporting teeth and gums healthy, which is what keeps the bridge stable.
Why Choose Kaceli Dental Studio in Norwood?
Implant bridges need careful planning, and in Norwood the 3D imaging and the periodontist are both part of our own practice. You also get Dr. Kaceli's preference for the most conservative option that will hold up.
Along with our weekday hours, we're open the third Friday and third Saturday of each month. Patients come to us from Norwood, Westwood, Dover and Needham, and financing through Cherry and Sunbit is available.
