If you’re missing several teeth, a fixed implant bridge can fill the gap to restore your smile and help you maintain your oral health. A bridge supported by a dental implant is more stable than a conventional bridge supported by surrounding teeth. An implant bridge can also help to preserve your existing teeth and prevent bone loss in your jaw.
Whether you need to replace several or all missing teeth, book a consultation at one of our dedicated implant clinics in Kelmscott or East Victoria Park to find out if a fixed implant bridge is right for you. Our highly accredited dentist Dr David Norcross has more than 15 years’ experience placing dental implants and can help you choose the most suitable treatment option to regain your smile.
As well as impacting on your appearance, missing teeth may also affect your ability to eat or speak normally. Without support, teeth on each side of the gap may start to shift position, and this can lead to alignment issues. These risks are more likely if several teeth are missing and the gap is larger. There may also be a risk of bone loss in the jaw when it’s no longer stimulated by tooth roots.
A fixed implant bridge that replaces several or all teeth at once is a more affordable and convenient alternative to replacing each individual tooth with an implant. The number of implants needed to support a bridge depends on how many teeth are missing, their position in the mouth and the quality of the jaw bone supporting the implants. For example, if you need a bridge of three or four teeth replaced, this would normally only require two dental implants.
Fixed implant bridges can also replace a full set of teeth. If you choose full mouth fixed implant bridges and have healthy jaw bone, we can usually restore a smile using four implants or up to six implants for patients with softer jaw bone.
Read more about the treatment costs and teeth and implant materials for replacing a full set of teeth using full mouth implant bridges on four implants.
A dental bridge supported by dental implants has several advantages compared with a traditional bridge or partial denture:
We begin with an initial consultation to assess your teeth and jaws and determine your suitability for a fixed implant bridge. We’ll take impressions of your gums and jaw to create a surgical guide for placing your implants and fixed bridge.
Placing a fixed implant bridge involves a surgical procedure that’s completed in two stages by our experienced dentist Dr Norcross and his highly qualified team. The whole process usually takes between 3 and 5 days where you have surgery to place the implants on day one. If you need to have a remaining tooth extracted, we usually do this at the same time. This is followed by your try-in appointment of the new implant bridge to check bite and aesthetics on day three. During this try-in appointment, we record any adjustments for the lab technician to fabricate your teeth before your final fitting on day five.
After three to six months we check the implants have fused to your jaw bone before creating and fitting your long-term bridge. This is followed by a review appointment at six months for a check-up and professional clean.
Perth Dental Implant Centre has three convenient locations in Perth. Call our friendly team at your local clinic to find out more about replacing teeth with dental implants or to book your initial consultation with Dr Norcross. Call (08) 9495 7999 to speak to our Kelmscott clinic, (08) 9470 3944 for East Victoria Park clinic and (08) 9227 8777 for Mount Lawley clinic.
A fixed implant bridge consists of several prosthetic teeth supported by one or more dental implants. An implant-supported bridge is stronger and longer-lasting than a bridge supported by crowns, but the dental implant procedure involves oral surgery.
Dental implant cost varies depending on how many teeth you’re replacing, if you require any extractions, if you require sedation, the material of your bridge and other factors.
Fixed implant bridges are natural looking and can be made using a number of materials. Perth Dental Implant Centres provides fixed implant bridges using one of three combinations of material:
High impact acrylic is often used immediately after treatment as an initial bridge which is later upgraded to either a new acrylic bridge or a longer-lasting zirconia bridge. A zirconia and porcelain bridge is very natural looking but can be prone to chipping.
Our process first involves a consultation with Dr Norcross, scans and clinical photographs of your mouth to plan implant treatment, followed by keyhole surgery where the implants are placed into the bone. If bone grafting is needed to support your new bridge, it will also be done during surgery. We’ll provide you with an initial bridge while the dental implants are left to fuse to your jaw bone (through a process known as osseointegration) and heal over a period of three to six months. We then fit your long-term customised bridge and make any adjustments as they are needed. We provide you with care instructions for your brand new teeth and a 6-month check-up and clean appointment at our clinic.
You may not be immediately suitable for implant surgery if there isn’t enough bone in your jaw to support the implants. If this is the case, we can discuss bone grafting to help build up your jaw. Your mouth should also be healthy and not affected by problems such as gum disease.
Book an examination with Our dentist to discover whether you’re a candidate for fixed implant bridges, Call (08) 9495 7999 to speak to our Kelmscott clinic, (08) 9470 3944 for East Victoria Park clinic and (08) 9227 8777 for Mount Lawley clinic. or send us an enquiry online.
Dental implants are the closest thing to a natural tooth and can be considered for replacing one, several or all missing teeth:
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