How Do You Clean a Dental Bridge? Try These Useful Tips
Do you have a missing tooth, or missing teeth, that are making you feel self-conscious about your appearance and your smile in general? If the answer is yes, then the important thing to remember is that you needn’t suffer in silence.
Missing/broken teeth are much more common than a lot of people realize, which is one of the main reasons why dental practices worldwide are proving to be more popular than ever.
Having absent teeth in the mouth will not only potentially leave you feeling self-conscious, it can also affect your quality of life and make seemingly basic tasks like chewing food, feel like a real struggle.
The good news is that dental bridges can serve as fantastic treatment options.
Dental bridges replace missing teeth, they bridge gaps in the mouth, they look natural, and they are easy to care for. So how do you clean a dental bridge? Let’s take a more in-depth look.
What is a dental bridge?
A dental bridge is a contraption which is designed to basically bridge gaps in the mouth where teeth are missing (hence the name).
The process of fitting a dental bridge involves replacing a missing tooth with an artificial tooth which is then bonded to natural teeth in the mouth on either side of the gap in the mouth. You’ll find that there are two types of dental bridge used in dentistry.
The first and most common will consist of two crowns bonded permanently to healthy and natural teeth. Usually these are made from metals or porcelain materials.
Adhesive bridges are also very common and are used if teeth either side of the missing tooth are healthy and strong. This bridge is a false tooth with specially designed adhesive ‘wings’ located on either side of it. Here, these wings will be bonded to inside surfaces of the supporting healthy teeth. This is beneficial because it means that there won’t be any need for crowns to be fitted to the neighbouring teeth.
What is the lifespan of a dental bridge?
Answer the question of how long a dental bridge lasts is like answering how long a car lasts.
If you look after your car and regularly get it serviced, you keep it clean, you get any problems looked at and fixed straight away, and you care for it and maintain it, it will last decades. If however, you don’t care for it or maintain it, and you run it into the ground, it’ll last a few years only.
Does that mean dental bridges will last as long? Well, no, because they’re not cars. The principle is the same however. If you don’t clean and maintain your bridges, they won’t last anywhere near as long as they would if you cleaned them and maintained them.
To give you a rough idea, dental bridges last between 5 and 15 years. Obviously the better you clean and look after them, the longer they will last.
How do you clean a dental bridge?
Wondering how do you take care of a dental bridge? Well, worry no longer because we’ve got some simple yet effective dental bridge cleaning tips that can make one heck of an improvement.
Brush twice a day
Even though dental bridges aren’t actual living teeth, you still need to brush them and care for them as if they were.
Each day, ideally in the morning and in the evening before bed, brush your teeth thoroughly and be sure to give your bridges a thorough brushing in the process.
Avoid bad oral habits
If you want your teeth to be healthy, you know to avoid eating and drinking foods with a high sugar content as sugar rots and decays the teeth. You should also try to limit the amount of overly acidic foods you consume, and avoid foods and drinks which stain the teeth.
As far as looking after your bridges is concerned, you should avoid bad oral habits to keep them strong and healthy for the same reasons as you should avoid them to keep the teeth healthy.
Floss once per day
Flossing is not only important for the teeth, it’s also vital for dental bridges. Food often becomes stuck under dental bridges and so flossing at least once per day is even more important if you have dental bridges fitted.
Food which is left lodged underneath will rot and decay, causing a foul smell and a build up of bacteria in the mouth.
Use a thinner floss if you have dental bridges fitted, as this is easier to use than the thicker strands.
Visit your dentist regularly
Finally, if you want to keep your dental bridge clean and healthy, and your teeth clean and healthy, be sure to visit your dentist regularly.
Your dentist can examine the bridge and your teeth and let you know if things are looking good, or let you know if improvements are needed. Not only that, but they can also recommend which products to use, and show you how to use them.
How to clean under a dental bridge
As mentioned above, food often gets stuck under a dental bridge, so cleaning underneath it is vital. We’ve already mentioned flossing, so what else can you do to clean underneath?
Here are some more useful tips on how to clean under a dental bridge:
- Use dental picks - Dental picks are specially designed oral hygiene tools which are just like toothpicks, except they have rubber tips so they’re more forgiving on the teeth and gums.
- Water picks - Water picks are also handy for getting into those hard-to-reach areas under your dental bridges.
Water picks are small devices which spray concentrated jets of water into the mouth and between the teeth to dislodge stuck particles of food and other bits of debris. - Interproximal brushes - Interproximal brushes are special contraptions which are designed to clean larger spaces between the teeth than normal. Because of their size and their design, they’re perfect for cleaning under dental bridges.
How do you remove plaque from a bridge?
Plaque not only forms on the teeth, it can also form on dental bridges too. The good news is that plaque is much easier to remove from dental bridges than it is from the teeth.
To remove plaque from dental bridges, be sure to continue to brush twice a day. You can even use a denture cleaner. Water picks can also prove useful for removing plaque in the early stages and in small quantities.
Do NOT use abrasive cleaning solutions or implements as these can damage the surface of your bridges and reduce their life expectancy.
How do you take care of a dental bridge?
So, a little earlier on we looked at how to clean your dental bridges, but what about caring for them in general?
Here are some handy tips for caring for dental bridges:
- Brush twice a day Floss once per day using thin floss
- Dislodge any stuck food particles or debris using dental picks and water picks
- Visit your dentist regularly Practice good oral hygiene
- Avoid overly sugary and acidic foods and drinks
- Avoid biting overly hard foods such as nuts and ice cubes
Wrapping things up
If you’ve ever wondered how do you clean a dental bridge, hopefully the tips and info listed above have been insightful and useful?
If you want to prolong the life of your dental bridge, and also minimize the risk of infection, be sure to visit your dentist regularly for check-ups, and be sure to look after and clean your bridges by following the tips we’ve shared with you today.
