What is the best way to care for my dental bridge?

What is the best way to care for my dental bridge?

Ronald Rosenblatt, DDS (General and Cosmetic Dentistry) gives expert video advice on: Why would I want a fixed dental bridge?; Will a dental bridge change the way I speak?; What are the risks associated with a dental bridge? and more...

Care of the dental bridge is going to vary a little bit according to whether it's a fixed bridge or a removable bridge. If it's a fixed bridge; let's say we replaced two teeth, so there will be four teeth involved in all. There will be the two teeth replaced and the two teeth on either side, the abutments, which are all attached. What that means is you will not be able to slide floss through between these teeth like you did before. However, by using an item called a floss-threader you can thread floss there and still use it effectively. Your dentist or your dental hygienist will show you how to do this. It's important to keep the area nice and clean, because you're not able to clean it as you did before. If you have a removable bridge, then you need to take it out and brush the area where the removable bridge sits, and then also brush the removable bridge. As long as you put the removable bridge in the way the dentist showed you, and remove it and brush well all the time, then you should be well. However, there's also a strain placed on the teeth that the removable bridge holds on to. You have to have this checked routinely, because the clasps that hold onto the tooth should give as it's placed in rather than loosening the tooth. So, you have to make sure that that happens the right way all of the time, so you don't lose the teeth on either side.