Which Is Better, Plastic or Porcelain Fixed Bridge?

Which Is Better, Plastic or Porcelain Fixed Bridge?

Mar 01, 2023

Porcelain is undoubtedly better because it withstands wear and tear on the teeth and helps maintain jaw movement when used in dental prosthetics like fixed Bridges. On the other hand, plastic confronts quicker abrasion and wears faster than porcelain.

Fixed dental bridges are a popular solution for people with three or four missing teeth in a row with healthy natural teeth adjacent to the edentulous tooth gaps. Although different materials like metals, ceramics, resin, and porcelain help make dental crowns to support bridges, porcelain is a common material used to fabricate crowns and bridges. In addition, porcelain can be color matched to the shade of your natural tooth enamel to give your bridge a durable base to rely on. Therefore if you have a missing tooth or two, you can consider a porcelain bridge in Pearland, TX, to restore your mouth functionality and aesthetics to prevent the consequences of tooth loss from affecting you.

Is Porcelain Good for Dental Bridges?

The most common material to make traditional fixed bridges and crowns is porcelain, a tooth-colored material that is matched to the color of your remaining teeth. If seeking tooth replacement solutions from the Pearland provider, they will examine your teeth color and provide the information to the dental laboratory by sending them images and impressions of your teeth and mouth to custom create porcelain bridges for you to represent your article teeth. However, you must wait at least three weeks after tooth preparation before having the porcelain bridge bonded over the abutment teeth adjacent to the edentulous tooth gap.

However, if you intend to get a porcelain fixed Bridge in Pearland, TX you must have healthy natural teeth beside the missing tooth gap, and the edentulous gap cannot extend beyond four teeth. Therefore, if you have lost more than four teeth in a row, you must look for alternative solutions like implant-supported Bridges to hold the anchoring teeth with the pontics between them representing your artificial teeth. Implant-supported Bridges held by dental implants are the most durable, and the implants stay in your mouth for life. However, the Bridges require replacements after some time, depending on how well you care for them.

Procedure to Get Fixed Bridges

During your appointment with the dentist in Pearland to close the gaps between your teeth, expect the dentist to x-ray your mouth and teeth, looking for infections that need treatment before getting the Bridges. The dentist concentrates on the neighboring teeth adjacent to the missing tooth because the integrity of the dental bridge relies on its health. If you have healthy adjacent teeth, the dentist must reshape them to accommodate porcelain dental crowns to hold pontics between them to function as your artificial teeth.

The preparation phase of the dental bridge procedure is uncomfortable because the dentist must remove tooth structure past the dentin to make space for the dental crown. However, you don’t feel discomfort because you receive local anesthesia to help you manage the pain comfortably. After tooth preparation, the dentist impressions the prepared teeth for the dental laboratory to customize your porcelain crowns and provides a temporary acrylic crown resembling plastic to cover the adjacent teeth for protection. The dentist asks you to revisit them three weeks later to have a permanent bridge bonded to the anchoring teeth.

When you visit the Pearland dentist three weeks later, the dentist starts the process by removing the temporary placements and checking the permanent restoration color and fit. All things being acceptable, the dentist bonds the two dental crowns on the anchoring teeth with your dental bridge held between two serve as your artificial tooth.

How Long Do Porcelain Fixed Bridges Last?

Dentists providing dental bridges claim that restorations last for 5 to 7 years with proper care, regular exams, and cleanings. However, they also offer tips to extend the longevity of artificial teeth by refraining from eating complex foods or using the teeth as tools for purposes other than biting or chewing. They also suggest wearing night guards if you are affected by conditions like bruxism, causing you to grind and clench your teeth.

If you maintain appropriate dental hygiene by cleaning around the dental crowns and beneath the bridge, besides getting half-yearly dental exams and cleanings, your dental bridge can extend its lifespan to stay in your mouth longer than a decade by up to 15 years before needing replacements.

Fixed porcelain bridges are durable and serve the purpose designed for, but they need appropriate care after placement in your mouth. Plastic is no match to porcelain which resembles the color of natural teeth and has the durability to stay in your mouth without staining for many years.

If you miss some teeth and are looking for replacement solutions, fixed porcelain bridges provided by Harmony Dental help cover the voids between your teeth. Consult them today to receive porcelain dental bridges customized for you from a dental laboratory in three weeks to restore your mouth functionality and aesthetics.