Dental Bridges

If you’ve had one tooth or multiple teeth extracted due to damage, decay or disease, it is important to have the resulting gap filled or your remaining teeth can shift out of position and become more susceptible to decay. One way to replace your missing tooth or teeth and prevent this shifting is with a dental bridge, and in Easton, PA, Dr. Alan Dilsaver can provide you with a bridge in order to keep your smile beautiful and healthy.

Called a bridge because a prosthetic tooth is suspended between two crowns to fill in the space left by a missing tooth, this natural-looking tooth restoration is usually made from gold, metal, alloys or porcelain. These materials help to ensure a strong and durable smile that can last years.

The process of creating a bridge usually takes two visits to the dentists’ offices. During the first, Dr. Dilsaver will create abutments out of the existing teeth on both sides of your gap. Once the abutments have been created, a mold will be taken of your mouth for fabricating the bridge. At other dental practices, the process of creating the bridge may take weeks but thanks to our CEREC machine, your dental bridges is completed in just minutes. Dr. Dilsaver will start by preparing the tooth and he will then take an optical impression of the teeth using a special 3D camera. The image is transferred to the computer, where the restoration is fashioned using computer aided design (CAD). This technology takes every clinical detail of the patient’s case into consideration, creating the most precise restoration. Next, these exact specifications are sent to Dr. Buntyn’s in-office milling machine. In less than an hour, this state-of-the-art device fabricates the custom, color-matched restoration.

If you are missing one tooth or multiple teeth, a dental bridge can restore both your smile’s beauty and health. To see which option is best for you, schedule an appointment with Dr. Alan Dilsaver of Easton, PA by calling (610) 252-7414. To learn more about the dentist and his services, please visit www.lehighvalleysmiles.net.               

Dentures at Lehigh Valley Smiles

Many of our patients in Easton, PA choose dentures to replace their missing teeth. Cost-effective and removable dentures are an attractive option for many patients at Lehigh Valley Smiles, and they are available as both full and partial devices. 

Full dentures can be placed in two ways: conventionally or immediately. Conventional full dentures are used after all of a patient’s teeth have been removed, but only once the gum tissue has healed for a few months. During that healing time, the patient would have no teeth in place. Immediate full dentures, however, are more popular since patients do not have to be toothless for any period of time. For this type, Dr. Alan Dilsaver takes measurements of your mouth prior to removing the teeth. The teeth are removed at the next appointment, and the dentures are immediately placed in your mouth. With this method, a follow-up visit is required so that the dentures can be refitted and tightened since the jawbone changes shape slightly as it heals with no teeth.

Partial dentures are an option for those who do not need all their teeth removed. This type is very similar to bridges, except they are removable instead of permanent.

Whichever dentures our patients choose, the device takes some time getting used to, but as you practice, eating and speaking will get easier. Even though they are not real teeth, dentures should still be cared for as if they were. To ensure your dentures last, be sure to brush them before removal and place them in room temperature water or cleaning solution overnight.

To find out if dentures are the right choice for you, schedule an appointment at Lehigh Valley Smiles by calling (610) 252-7414. For more information, visit www.lehighvalleysmiles.net.