Dental Bridge

[Deleted User]

Evening! Looking for some advice please for those who have a dental bridge/considering one? Since my early twenties I have had extensive dental work done e.g. 5 crowns on my teeth, root canal treatment and extractions. Since then I had a gap on the lower teeth (second from the back, the far back is a crown) I also had to have an extraction next to it when I was pregnant with my second child as they couldn't xray/or save the tooth. So I have a two tooth gap at the back of my mouth one gap has been there since my twenties the other for the last four years. I am a very nervous but realistic patient and saw the dentist yesterday about getting this gap eventually sorted as the natural tooth the other side of the gap is starting to feel a bit weird has a slight bit of decay on the side. The dentist said I may not be an ideal candidate for an implant due to bone loss. He mentioned a partial denture but didn't recommend it. The next option was a bridge. I am aware two teeth would need filing down but one is a crown and the other has a spot of decay on it. What do you guys think?

I am a little undecided..cost will be approx £2000 (private) for a four tooth bridge. If left the gap remains which may cause problems at a later date? The decay on the tooth next to the gap may worsen...but hasn't in the last four years since the removal of the adjoining tooth. Also if/when the bridge fails I have another gap nearer to the front of my mouth whereas there would of been a natural tooth there.

Any advice greatly appreciated...please :-) sorry for the long post.

tattycath

drabbleon78 wrote: »

Evening! Looking for some advice please for those who have a dental bridge/considering one? Since my early twenties I have had extensive dental work done e.g. 5 crowns on my teeth, root canal treatment and extractions. Since then I had a gap on the lower teeth (second from the back, the far back is a crown) I also had to have an extraction next to it when I was pregnant with my second child as they couldn't xray/or save the tooth. So I have a two tooth gap at the back of my mouth one gap has been there since my twenties the other for the last four years. I am a very nervous but realistic patient and saw the dentist yesterday about getting this gap eventually sorted as the natural tooth the other side of the gap is starting to feel a bit weird has a slight bit of decay on the side. The dentist said I may not be an ideal candidate for an implant due to bone loss. He mentioned a partial denture but didn't recommend it. The next option was a bridge. I am aware two teeth would need filing down but one is a crown and the other has a spot of decay on it. What do you guys think?

I am a little undecided..cost will be approx £2000 (private) for a four tooth bridge. If left the gap remains which may cause problems at a later date? The decay on the tooth next to the gap may worsen...but hasn't in the last four years since the removal of the adjoining tooth. Also if/when the bridge fails I have another gap nearer to the front of my mouth whereas there would of been a natural tooth there.

Any advice greatly appreciated...please :-) sorry for the long post.

I've had a bridge for years. Bridge, cap and crown. They glued it in ( using special glue or whatever they use) and it lasted about 14 years. It then started to come a bit loose. I went back to dentist and he reattached it but suggested I may need it replacing. So I'm in the throes of deciding when to have the treatment. Frantically trying to save to I can afford the treatment. I've been quoted very similar to you for very similar treatment.
As soon as I can afford it I'm having it done-they have offered finance but I don't want to go down that route.
HTH

[Deleted User]

Evening TattyCath! I've managed to save just about the money for it. The dentist has said eventually the upper tooth will start moving into its space and will affect my bite. My doubt is that I've had one gap for twenty years the other for...it's actually seven years (did a miscalculation!). Would this not of started happening already! The gap I can live with just about I'm just very anxious about having an otherwise healthy tooth filed and crowned and 2K worse off unnecessarily. What do you think? Dental treatment is expensive but worth it when it's necessary!

tattycath

drabbleon78 wrote: »

Evening TattyCath! I've managed to save just about the money for it. The dentist has said eventually the upper tooth will start moving into its space and will affect my bite. My doubt is that I've had one gap for twenty years the other for...it's actually seven years (did a miscalculation!). Would this not of started happening already! The gap I can live with just about I'm just very anxious about having an otherwise healthy tooth filed and crowned and 2K worse off unnecessarily. What do you think? Dental treatment is expensive but worth it when it's necessary!

Evening drabbleon. I think, over time, the dentist is probably right, it will probably continue to move gradually over to fill the space.
I'm only surmising. I'm no expert by any means.
I think it's a necessary evil myself. I hate the dentist but want to preserve my smile-not forgetting I don't want to have to eat soft food due to lack of teeth!

justme111

Advice -
- if your dentist extracted a tooth because they could not do xrays becaise you were pregnant change the dentist. I bet 1000:1 it was done under NHS. Find private one.
- research implant options further.

[Deleted User]

justme111 wrote: »

Advice -
- if your dentist extracted a tooth because they could not do xrays becaise you were pregnant change the dentist. I bet 1000:1 it was done under NHS. Find private one.
- research implant options further.

The tooth was admittedly in a bad way as it was previously deeply filled. It became infected I was given antibiotics which didn't work. An X-ray would of been I assume to confirm it needed extracting. I am seeing a private one for a consultation re bridge/implants. I am aware the implant is the best way to replace a tooth but it's a lot of money and resorts in potentially bone grafting for me anyway and a fair bit of surgery.

[Deleted User]

tattycath wrote: »

Evening drabbleon. I think, over time, the dentist is probably right, it will probably continue to move gradually over to fill the space.
I'm only surmising. I'm no expert by any means.
I think it's a necessary evil myself. I hate the dentist but want to preserve my smile-not forgetting I don't want to have to eat soft food due to lack of teeth!

Hi Tattycath, I know what you're saying about preserving your smile and eating but I'm a little reluctant after the reading and talking to colleagues about bridges. The dentist potentially gets quids in not only do you lose one good tooth in my case which then becomes crowned you then have a prosthesis which if cracks they get to replace.

Tattycath, when you had your bridge did you have two teeth crowned?

brook2jack

There is actually only one issue here , trust.

On one hand you have a dentist who can see you, your X Ray's , has spoken to you in depth and has advised courses of treatment.

On the other you have people who cannot see you , your X Ray's , know nothing about dentistry and you are asking their advice based on a couple of sentences of information.

If you do not trust your dentist then change. Dentists are obliged to offer treatment based on what's best for the patient , not what is in their financial interests , and to break this rule would result in their being struck off.

You are thinking about expensive treatment then use a dentist you can trust and talk to . Dentistry is not like car mechanics , the human body reacts in different individual ways and what works for person a may not be appropriate for person b. So there is no right or wrong way for every situation just a more appropriate way for every individual.

The other thing is you have to look at your diet and cleaning habits and change them. If you still have active disease in your mouth eg decay or gum problems, then a bridge will eventually fail as the tooth underneath will decay as well or succumb to gum disease. Nothing is as strong as your original tooth and anything that replaces it will not last as long if conditions remain the same.