Dental Bridges for Guerneville Patients

About This Service

Dental Bridges

A dental bridge is a fixed restoration that spans a gap left by one or more missing teeth. It's called a bridge because it literally bridges the space, held in place by crowns on the neighboring teeth (called abutment teeth). Unlike a removable partial denture, a bridge is cemented in permanently, so it feels like your own teeth. You brush and floss around it, you eat normally, and your speech doesn't change. A bridge restores your ability to chew properly, which matters more than people realize. When you're missing a tooth, you naturally shift your chewing to the other side, overloading those teeth and unbalancing your jaw. A bridge puts your bite back in symmetry. It also stops the slow drift of neighboring teeth into the empty space, which can wreck your alignment over years. And it fills the visible gap so your smile looks complete. At Bonin Dental Care, we place several kinds of bridges depending on your anatomy. A traditional bridge requires preparing two teeth (one on each side of the gap). A cantilever bridge works when there's only one stable tooth next to the gap. A Maryland bonded bridge preserves more tooth structure by bonding to the back of abutment teeth rather than covering them with full crowns. Dr. Bonin examines your teeth and explains which option makes sense for your situation, focusing on what's best for the long term, not just the short-term budget.