Dental bridges are generally more invasive than other cosmetic dental procedures, so if you have or are considering bridges, you may be concerned about the appliance's compatibility with other dental treatments. However, you may still be eligible for a number of other treatments, particularly in other areas of your mouth.
Teeth Whitening
Most cosmetic dental work is unaffected by the process of teeth whitening, whether you use lasers or gel treatments. In fact, you may decide to seek teeth whitening concurrently with your bridges treatment or shortly after your dental bridges are in place. This is because the bridge may be a stunning white color that makes your surrounding natural teeth seem discolored in comparison, even if you thought they were perfectly white beforehand. Teeth whitening can help you match the shade of your natural teeth with that of your porcelain or ceramic bridge so that you have a much more seamless smile.
Dental Crowns
Dental crowns actually are a large part of how dental bridges work; your dentist or cosmetic specialist will shave down the two teeth surrounding your gap so that they can be fitted on either side with crowns that serve to anchor the entirely false tooth in the gap in place.
If you're considering crowns to hide chipped, decayed, cracked or misshapen teeth on either side of your gap, you won't even have to ask; they will be covered with crowns as part of the bridge process. However, you can also safely have crowns anywhere else in your mouth without affecting the bridge in the least.
Veneers
Like with crowns, veneers can cover up unsightly or irregular teeth, but they require far less (if any) of the real tooth to be shaved down to make room for them because they're made of thinner layers of false enamel. However, unlike crowns, you cannot count on veneers to cover up the anchor teeth on either side of the gap you're planning to have replaced with dental bridges. The bridge needs the sturdier crowns to stay firmly in place. Nevertheless, you can still have veneers elsewhere in your mouth, even directly above or below the bridges if necessary, without either appliance being affected.
Gum Surgery
Cosmetic gum surgery is an oft-overlooked dental procedure. Lengthening or shortening the appearance of your teeth as necessary can have a dramatic effect on your smile. In the case of bridges, for which there are no roots connected to your false tooth in the middle of the bridge, gum reshaping might help to hide the effect. It can also cover up the effects of gum disease, decay and injury. You may have also been born with gums that cover up too much of the tooth, so elongating the visible part of a tooth may be the best solution.
Whether or not you can successfully combine dental bridges with one or more other cosmetic dental procedures depends largely on your individual case. Discuss your ideal results with your dentist or cosmetic specialist to find out if you're qualified for one or all of the preceding treatments with bridges in place.
