The Importance of Getting Your Oral Health in Check

Your teeth are arguably the most important asset you have when it comes to your looks, especially when meeting new people and attending job interviews. It turns out that both men and women find it extremely attractive when their partner has a pearly white smile, and employers make assumptions about how well you take care of yourself, based on the condition of your teeth. If you don’t have good oral health, are missing a tooth from an accident or whatever the case may be, not all hope is lost. You can get right back on track in a matter of days, and it all starts with a simple visit to your dentist’s office.

As crooked as your teeth might be, it doesn’t take more than two to three months to get them all in check. In fact, it’s what I’ve been doing in the past 3 months, and I have one last appointment left to complete their look. During this period, I had a wisdom tooth pulled out, a dental bridge to fill in the gap from a missing tooth, had my teeth whitened and a few cavities fixed. And all it took for most of this, excluding the dental bridge procedure which was slightly more complicated, was a single appointment a week, which didn’t last for more than an hour.

The procedure for placing a bridge goes something like the following. The bridge is typically placed in two appointments, that are generally scheduled about 10 days apart. The first visit is mostly preparation, which includes removing some enamel to allow for a crown to be put over them. Then, the dentist will make impressions of the teeth, which will serve as a model from which the crowns, bridge and pontic will be made. After that, your dentist will place a temporary bridge which will protect the exposed gums and teeth while he/she makes the actual bridge.

On your second appointment, your dentist will remove your temporary bridge and will place the actual bridge, which is usually made from porcelain or metal. And that’s about it. After that, you may only have to visit for a regular checkup to check the fit of the framework and bite. Of course, this is dependent on several factors, but it mostly goes down along these lines. Once in place, bridges can last up to 15 years, as long as you keep proper oral hygiene and have your teeth regularly checked.