Custom Dental Bridges in Rochester, NY to Replace Missing Teeth

FAQs

How long do dental bridges last?

Dental bridges can last 10–15 years or longer with proper care and regular dental visits. Some factors that affect the longevity of a dental bridge are in your control as a patient. Things like properly caring for your dental bridge with good daily habits like brushing and flossing, following through with your routine dental hygiene appointments, being mindful of what foods you consume and how you chew avoiding excessive pressure on the restoration, as well as following any personalized instructions we may give you depending on your specific case - all of these things would extend the life-span of your bridge by many years.

Some factors are in our control. For things like ensuring the procedure is done by Rochester, NY area's most qualified restorative dentists - Dr. Anna Belous and Dr. Adriana Palacio, as well as ensuring the most advanced, state-of-the-art techniques and materials are used during treatment - we have you covered there.

Some factors are not in our control and they are things like the location of your bridge, the health of your jawbone, gums and the adjacent teeth - the factors that can affect the life-span of your bridge. We, of course, consider all of these factors when we diagnose your specific case and make a recommendation based on our many years of experience placing bridges and supporting our patients for many years after treatment.

Are dental bridges removable?

No, bridges are fixed restorations and are designed to stay securely in place. This is one of their most attractive features. Unlike full or partial dentures, they require relatively low maintenance and would not affect your speech and chewing comfort, as some dentures might due to shifting in the mouth. They would also give more confidence when talking and smiling, for these very reasons.

Yes, they may require a longer treatment period and may be more expensive than dentures, but you would definitely want to consider saving more of your remaining teeth, whenever possible, and dental bridges often give you the best opportunity to do so, especially when a number of consecutive teeth are missing. Implant-supported dental bridges, in particular, are exceptionally strong and are often the best thing next to having your natural teeth, both in terms of durability and strength, but also in terms of aesthetics and maintenance. And they have the additional benefit of preserving the health of your jawbone, which may diminish over time with traditional bridges or dentures.

Do dental bridges look natural?

Yes, dental bridges are custom-made to match your natural teeth in color, shape, and size. We use hand-picked, carefully selected, most sophisticated and state-of-the-art dental labs for all of our restorative manufacturing, including crowns, bridges and dentures. Our labs use only non-toxic, biocompatible ceramic-based materials, like porcelain (due to its high translucency) and zirconia white crystalline oxides (sometimes called "ceramic steel" due to its exception strength and durability), and we often monitor their processes and discuss individual patients' matters to ensure our biocompatibility guidelines are strictly followed, and our high aesthetic standards for color shading and translucency are met. This is what yields such great, natural looking results.

What’s the difference between a bridge and an implant? How do I know I need a bridge?

In a nutshell, a dental bridge uses surrounding teeth for support, while a dental implant replaces the tooth root with a standalone solution. Both have similarities because they both restore a gap between natural teeth, where a tooth is missing. But that's where the similarity stops. Fundamentally, dental implants, if the conditions allow it, are clinically indicated for missing teeth because they are the best thing next to having natural teeth, in terms of durability, strength and longevity. They also preserve the health of the jawbone, which tends to deteriorate over time when it doesn't sustain the mechanical pressure afforded to it by either a natural tooth or a dental implant. Also, dental implants do not require preparing the adjacent teeth, partially losing their enamel and sustaining additional mechanical pressure on them, which may compromise their health over time. Yes, implants do take longer to place and heal and do incur a higher cost. Often a patient has a choice between dental bridges and dental implants and we would be here to help you make that choice, considering all of the pros and cons.

Would I be able to afford a dental bridge, if I need one?

Dental bridges are very commonly recommended treatments. They do often require considerable time in the treatment chair and there is usually a dental lab and a manufacturing process involved. So, naturally, cost is a consideration. Dental bridges are typically classified as major restorative care by most dental insurance plans, and as such are covered at certain percentage levels, ranging around 40-50% of the cost (sometimes more), after you meet your annual deductible. Some waiting periods may also apply for new plan enrollments. Watch out for "missing tooth clauses" that may limit your ability to utilize insurance for dental bridges replacing missing teeth that predate your policy start date. Also, many plans have annual maximum coverage caps, meaning once you reach that limit, you pay additional costs out of pocket, while Medicaid and Medicare do not typically cover routine dental bridges.

So, because every insurance is different and nuanced, we encourage you to talk to our amazing patient experience team, who will be happy to assist you with financially planning your treatment. We accept a broad range of insurances and can submit them to quickly verify your eligibility at the time of treatment planning, so that there are no surprises. We also follow our "access for all" philosophy that is rooted in believing that quality dental care should be available to everyone. That is why we go beyond insurance coverage and are often able to accommodate various payment plans with no and low-interest financing, for those that qualify.