How Martha Stewart Made Getting a Dental Bridge Look Easy
Find out how lifestyle guru Martha Stewart conquered the dentist, by live tweeting her dental bridge procedure. Get advice on fixing your missing teeth today.
Image from David Shankbone on Flickr.
In 2012, domestic goddess and television queen, Martha Stewart, took a trip to the dentist. But, being Martha, she didn’t do it like the rest of us would. She live tweeted her entire visit to fans all around the world. She grinned (or tried to) while having a bleaching and talked followers through the complexities of fitting a dental bridge.
As ever, the inimitable Mrs Stewart was first on the scene. Never one to shy away from a sensitive subject, she actually ended up taking a lot of the mystery and fear out of the dentist for many of those watching. This is very important, because dental phobias are more common than ever before. They prevent sufferers from seeking vital procedures and they cause huge amounts of stress, pain, and permanent damage to teeth.
We are used to thinking of our mouths as innately private. The teeth and gums are an intimate place. Unlike a lot of other physical features, they can be skilfully hidden if we don’t feel comfortable with them. Yet, like hands and eyebrows and toenails, we all have them. We all must go to the dentist, whether we are Beyoncé, Martha Stewart, Barack Obama, or your elderly neighbour who lives down the street.
By live tweeting her bleaching and the fitting of her dental bridge, Martha Stewart proved that visiting the dentist can be easy. With the support of a skilled dental team and a top rated surgery, your treatment can be fast, efficient, and relaxed. If your dentist has recommended a dental bridge, finding out more about the procedure is a good way to prepare and put your mind at ease. And remember, if Martha can, so can you.
Getting to Know the Dental Bridge
One of the first things that Martha did after she got in the chair was tweet a picture of her tailor made dental bridge. This neat little creation had been perfectly sized and shaped to fit her mouth. As she explained, the bridge was needed to fix a broken tooth on the upper left portion of her jaw. This is a very common condition and millions of dental bridges are made to fix it every single year.
If you are preparing to have your own bridge fitted, go ahead and use Martha Stewart as an example of how well a high quality procedure can function. This is a woman who spends much of her life on television and, when she flashes a smile, it is impossible to distinguish between the real and the fake teeth. For anybody with missing, damaged or cracked teeth, a bridge can be a great option.
The procedure does not involve surgery, so it is less invasive than many people assume. Unlike implants (which can be quite painful), a dental bridge is made up of three or more crowns (fake teeth) arranged together as a single unit. The fake teeth at either end of the bridge are placed over healthy teeth to keep the unit firm. The ones in the centre replace the missing or damaged teeth in a way which is indistinguishable from the rest.
Appreciating the Art of Great Dentistry
For dentists, celebrity endorsements are very powerful. Not just because they showcase the skill and services of a particular surgery, but because they demystify the entire process. We are so used to approaching dental procedures with apprehension that we often forget how much talent is needed to carry them out. So, when a high profile figure like Martha Stewart draws attention to the artistry involved in designing dental bridges, you can bet that dentists all around the world are silently cheering,
And they do involve a great deal of skill. Every dental bridge is unique and has been carefully designed to fit the mouth of a patient. Its colour, size, and shape must be perfectly matched to the existing teeth. This is no mean feat and it involves a remarkable amount of collaboration between dentists and laboratory technicians. Traditionally, the dentist made a rudimentary model of the patient mouth and then sent this to a dental lab.
However, these days, a dentist is just as likely to create the bridgework themselves. This is only possible because of fast paced technological developments. Now, dentists can have entire laboratories in their offices. This means that bridgework can be made a lot quicker than it ever could in the past. And, with the rise of 3D printing, a whole new world of possibilities has been opened up. The ability to 3D print dental bridges and other pieces has the potential to revolutionise the industry.
The Many Benefits of the Dental Bridge
The most obvious benefit of the dental bridge is to the outer appearance. For most people, missing teeth are a constant blot on self-esteem. Unless they are right at the back of the mouth, they can be very difficult to hide. So, whenever you smile or open your mouth to talk or eat, there is a good chance that the gap will be visible.
Ultimately, if you have missing teeth, a high quality dental bridge is guaranteed to improve your face. It often makes patients look younger and they naturally start to smile more easily once it has been fitted. In some cases, gaps can actually cause parts of the face to take on a sunken look. This happens because the lips and cheeks begin to sag into the empty space between the healthy teeth. If this happens, a dental bridge may be the only way to repair it.
It is important to understand that dental repair work is usually about more than just aesthetics. You might be the kind of person who is not overly concerned about their appearance, but this does not mean that you should disregard the need to fix missing teeth. The degeneration of the jawbone is actually accelerated by tooth loss, so it is essential that you seek the right kind of repair procedure. With a high quality dental bridge, all of these problems can be solved.
Deciding If a Bridge is Right for You
To be eligible for a dental bridge, you need to fulfil the necessary treatment criteria. This kind of repair is only suitable for patients with strong, healthy teeth surrounding the affected area. A dental bridge is fixed directly to the surrounding (natural) teeth, so they need to be robust enough to hold the unit. It also means that a dental bridge repair is restricted to certain types of missing teeth.
It can only be used to fix up to three missing teeth in the same place. Plus, the gums must also be healthy for the unit to hold firm. It is worth remembering, before you agree to have a dental bridge fitted, that it is permanent. It can, of course, be removed or changed if you develop problems with the unit later, but it is designed to be worn all the time.
It must be kept very clean, maintained carefully, and monitored closely for signs of trouble (particularly in the first few months after the procedure). If you are still worried or unsure about dental bridgework, do not hesitate to discuss the issue with your dentist. They will be able to answer any questions that you might have and put your mind at ease. The procedure itself can take a little time, but it is usually pain free and fairly straightforward.
Living Life with a Dental Bridge
If you want a repair which asks little of you as far as care and maintenance goes, a dental bridge could be the right choice. They do not have to be removed once they have been fitted, so they can be treated like regular teeth. You can eat as you would normally. You can drink without worrying about having to take the piece out for intensive cleaning.
Essentially, a dental bridge should become one with your own teeth. If you keep up with regular appointments, brush and floss correctly, and treat your new teeth with love and respect, you should never run into any problems. After a while, your bridge will need to be replaced (all bridgework has an expiry date), but a good unit can easily last ten years or more. Your dentist will be able to advise you on this.
To take the next step, book a consultation session with your dentist. This is a good opportunity for you to learn about the risks associated with the procedure. In the case of dental bridges, the risks are low, but it is still important to be aware of them. They include an allergic reaction to the unit material, but this is uncommon. For most patients, the gums are sore for a few days after the procedure and the mouth produces more saliva.
You may not even notice these side effects, but your dentist will probably recommend a soft food diet for a few days. This will give your mouth a chance to heal and repair, as well as get used to the new teeth. After a couple of weeks, the dental bridge should feel almost indistinguishable from your natural teeth. And, like Martha Stewart, you can carry on smiling with confidence.
