In dentistry, a porcelain fixed bridge is a fake tooth with metal clasps on both sides. The fake tooth fills the gap of a missing tooth. The metal clasps on both sides hook onto your real teeth on both sides of the gap. They are "fixed" because you cannot remove this bridge and no amount of chewing can cause it to pop out of place. In fact, porcelain fixed bridges go quite well together with bruxism. Here is why.
Porcelain Resists Bruxism
Bruxism is the teeth-grinding activity that you unwittingly participate in every night while you are asleep. Waking up to a sore jaw or a mild headache proves that you have this problem. Bruxism badly damages your own teeth, causing multiple fractures and eventually splitting pieces of your teeth right off.
However, dentists recognize this problem. When restoring your teeth, they will urge you to get porcelain crowns because the porcelain can withstand the several ppi (pounds per square inch) that you apply to your teeth while you are sleeping. As such, a porcelain crown can last indefinitely, regardless of how much you grind your teeth.
The Porcelain Bridge Has the Same Benefits as a Porcelain Crown
Likewise, a porcelain bridge is very strong. The fake porcelain tooth will never break, and the metal clasps that encircle your two real teeth hold the porcelain tooth perfectly in place. No slippage, breaking, or splitting ever occurs. The only way you could cause the bridge to come loose is if you lose one of the anchoring teeth.
The Anchor Teeth Have Some Protection Too
Because metal clasps from the bridge are secured to your anchor teeth, these teeth remain relatively intact. If you grind your teeth so much that the anchor teeth begin to break or split, the metal clasps hold the breaking pieces in place until your dentist can repair these teeth. It is almost a preemptive move to prevent damage to these teeth from bruxism.
Additionally, cavities cannot start on the anchor teeth where the clasps adhere to the anchor teeth. The metal clasps may create an unattractive and metallic appearance on the anchor teeth, but you will never find a cavity underneath the clasps. You may still experience cavities above the clasp areas, but they will never come from the clasp areas themselves. If you are particularly fastidious about your oral hygiene, you will not have to worry about cavities in these areas at all.
Share14 July 2017
Halloween is a holiday that my children love, and telling them they can't go door-to-door collecting candy would break their hearts. This led me to allowing them to collect candy on the holiday, then rationing it out to them every day instead of letting them gobble it up in just a few days. I always thought this was better for them, but my dentist told me this could be the reason why their February dental check-ups were always their worst ones. Daily candy consumption was taking a toll on their teeth. I started a new tradition of letting them indulge for two days, then giving them the option to swap the rest with me in exchange for a new toy. They never pass on the opportunity for a new toy. I created this blog to encourage other parents find similar tactics to keep their children's teeth healthy after Halloween.