Closing an Unattractive Gap between Your Two Front Teeth

If you wear an old removable denture and experience headaches and jaw pain every time you eat, replace it with a permanent dental bridge. The texture, size or stability of an upper or lower denture appliance can change from wear and tear. In most cases, you'll feel the changes in your denture before you actually see them. Your dentist can help improve the functions and appearance of your mouth with a permanent dental bridge. The bridge replaces your missing teeth by "bridging" the gap between your natural teeth. Here's how the dental bridge works, as well as how it solves the problems caused by your removable denture.

Why Do You Have Headaches and Jaw Pain From Your Current Dentures?

Several things cause head and jaw pain when your removable denture goes bad, including malocclusion or bad bite. Your teeth and removable denture should come together almost evenly when you close your jaws. But when your teeth and denture don't line up properly in the closed position, it stresses out your jawbones and you develop a poor or bad bite. 

Eventually, you experience jaw pain from your poor bite. The pain spreads from the side of the mouth that has the old removable denture to the muscles in your jaws. As you open and close your mouth to eat or even speak, the muscles tense up or tire out from the action.

Head pain develops when the tissues in your jawbones swell up with inflammation. The swelling compresses the nerves in your face, temples and forehead that transmit pain signals to your brain. Instead of functioning normally, the nerves throb or become achy and uncomfortable. 

You may feel very uncomfortable when you wear your removable denture during mealtimes or chew different types of food textures. For instance, you may have problems chewing medium to hard textured vegetables or fibrous meats. If you remove your denture because of the pain, you place your teeth at risk for shifting.

How Does the Permanent Dental Bridge Work?

Like your current denture, a dental bridge replaces teeth lost to gum disease, health problems and tooth decay. But unlike a removable denture, a dentist cements the bridge in place so that you can't take it out of your mouth. 

A permanent dental bridge brings back the natural functions of your mouth by improving your bite. The dental crowns attached to the appliance create balance and stability in your upper and lower jawbones, which makes your bite feel more comfortable during meals. 

You also experience fewer headaches because the muscles in your jaws relax instead of tense up when you eat. The crowns used to cover your dental bridge feature the same deep grooves and surfaces as your natural teeth, which means they can grind and break down food without placing too much stress on your jawbones' muscles.

Additionally, a permanent dental bridge keeps your natural teeth from tilting, tipping over or shifting in their tooth sockets. The dental bridge doesn't rely on wires and adhesives to stay fixated in the mouth. Instead, a permanent bridge uses your natural teeth to support and stabilize it. As a result, you experience little to no movement with your natural teeth when you get a dental bridge in place.

How Do You Make Your Dental Bridge Last?

After placing your dental bridge, your dentist prescribes a special oral care plan for you to follow at home. The plan varies for each patient, but yours may include rinsing the area between your abutment teeth and bridge teeth with a water jet flosser several time a day to keep them clean and healthy.

Your dentist may also offer cleaning solutions, such as mouth rinses, to remove surface stains and germs from your bridge work. Along with the mouth rinses, avoid eating foods or drinking fluids that stain your teeth and bridgework dark. Opt for fresh fruits, vegetables and clear liquids instead.

Dental bridges can last for 15 years or more with the right oral care and maintenance system in place. So it's important to follow your dentist's care plan exactly to avoid losing your bridgework to poor hygiene.

If you need additional information about a permanent dental bridge, contact your dental provider today, or visit sites like http://rosecitydental.com/.