Dental Bridges: A Comparison
Many parents bring their teenage children into our Bondi Junction practice, worried about the gap in their smiles after an accident or if their child has a congenitally missing a particular tooth/teeth. All those parents who visit us have questions about dental bridges and whether they’d be right for their teenagers. This got us thinking about how many families in our community might have similar concerns.
After practising paediatric dentistry in Bondi for over 15 years, we have seen firsthand how missing teeth can affect a child’s confidence. Let us share what we’ve learned about dental bridges and how they might help your family.
What’s a Dental Bridge, Really?
When explaining bridges to our younger patients, we often use familiar comparisons. Think for example of a bridge as a tiny swing between two strong trees. In dental terms, those trees are your natural teeth, and the swing is the replacement tooth. We find that children understand this concept better when we relate it to their everyday experiences.
We often tell our young patients it’s similar to building with their favourite construction toys – connecting pieces to make everything work perfectly together. Explaining things in this matter often helps children.
Types of Bridges We’ve Used in Our Practice
Traditional Bridges
These are the workhorses of the dental world. We use these bridges most often. They’re like having a three-tooth team – two supporting teeth wearing crowns with a new tooth suspended between them.
Maryland Bridges
These are very popular options for teenagers. Just the other day, we fitted one for a teenage patient. These bridges have wings that hug the back of the neighbouring teeth – much less invasive than traditional ones. This is for example very important if your child plays an instrument like the clarinet. They won’t notice much of a difference as it doesn’t interfere with their ability to play their favourite musical instrument.
Cantilever Bridges
A cantilever bridge is not our first choice for kids. But sometimes the younger patient’s adjacent teeth aren’t strong enough for a traditional bridge. In those cases, we recommend a cantilever bridge.
Choosing What’s Best for Your Child
Every child who walks through our Bondi Junction doors has unique needs. We get different patients with various dental issues that need different solutions. What plays a key role is the solutions that work best, this can vary based on bite patterns and jaw development.
Here’s what we look at:
- How old is your child? Their jaws could still be growing.
- Which tooth needs replacing? Front teeth need different approaches than back teeth
- How does your child feel about the procedure? Some kids are ready for longer treatments, others need quicker solutions
The Journey to a New Smile
Let us walk you through what happens in practice when we place a bridge:
First Visit: This is where we become familiar with each other. We show kids the tools we’ll use, let them push the chair up and down, and make the whole thing feel like an adventure rather than a procedure.
Preparation Day: We get the supporting teeth ready. Our team has some great tricks to make this comfortable. We try and make this as stress-free as we can.
The Temporary Bridge: Think of this as a practice run. It protects the teeth while we wait for the permanent one. Kids usually love seeing the immediate difference in their smiles.
The Big Day: When we place the permanent bridge, it’s celebration time.
Taking Care of Your Child’s New Bridge
We like to say that a new bridge is like a new pet – it needs daily care and attention. During follow-up visits at our dental practice, we check how they’re managing and love to hear stories of their new bridges and how people like their new smiles.
Why Parents Choose Our Bondi Practice
You’ll find us right here in the heart of Bondi Junction, where we’ve created a practice that people are familiar with and can trust in the area. We have a big variety in our clientele. Kids and adults are welcome at our practice. We try and make it as fun as possible for the kids.
We understand the importance of finding a dental team you can trust. That’s why we focus on creating personal connections with every family who visits us. Whether you’re from Bondi, Bondi Junction, or nearby areas, we’re here to help your child smile confidently again.
Drop by our practice or reach out. Lets chat about your child’s dental needs. After all, every great smile story starts with a conversation