CLEARLY a better Choice for Implant Supported Fixed Bridge

We will discuss things like the clinical process, time expectations, financial options, and more.  We value this appointment as a chance for you to get to know our team and why our process is superior to others!

The number of implants supporting a hybrid bridge often translates directly to how many teeth we are able to replace. In the All-on-4 implants approach used by many, the hybrid bridge is actually only replacing 60-70% of missing teeth. By adding more implants, we’re able to support more teeth, and our goal is always to try to recreate and replace as many missing teeth as possible.

We pride ourselves on using cutting-edge, digital planning in all of our hybrid bridge (and other implant) patients. We are able to digitally design and plan the ideal location of the teeth to give the patient a beautiful, lifelike smile which in turn allows us to perfectly plan where the implants should be placed so they can support that ideal smile. All surgeries are done virtually first, before ever touching the patient. This allows us to foresee complications and challenges before they ever happen so we can plan an approach to avoid and minimize any difficulties.

Many of our surgeries are completed using a fully guided system that makes sure the actual surgery proceeds exactly like the virtual plan. This approach increases safety and predictability. We work with the best labs in the business to have prosthetics created in advance that integrate into our surgical guide system which allows for the most predictable esthetic outcomes.

Beautiful, strong, long-lasting feats of architecture start with a thorough, detailed blueprint. Our planning is a digital blueprint for your ideal smile, so we’re always working with our exact end-goal in mind in a methodical and detailed way to make sure that your final result is a sturdy, gorgeous set of teeth to keep you smiling for years to come.

Hyrbid bridge surgery is typically completed in a “Teeth-in-a-Day” approach. This means that the patient walks into our office with whatever natural teeth they had when we met, and they walk out with temporary teeth attached to the implants that we place that same day. We know no one wants to be without teeth, so all of our pre-planning and surgery is designed to allow us to send the patient home with teeth in place. We want you leaving our office with a smile you’re excited about, regardless of what your teeth looked like when you arrived!

Our newer materials don’t use any acrylic -- our typical design uses a titanium substructure which is very strong. Because it’s so strong, we don’t need to use the bulky, cumbersome designs that come with acrylic. The smaller, thinner size immediately becomes a patient’s preference; we need beauty, not bulk! The metal framework is also created in a way that perfectly supports each tooth for maximum stability and strength, and it simulates the shapes of natural teeth beneath the crowns. Zirconia (extremely hard, porcelain-like) crowns are then added to the framework along with highly detailed gums. Again, because we do not use acrylic, even the gums are hand sculpted and characterized to match your natural shade and texture -- we can even simulate muscle attachments, the textured roof of the mouth, root forms beneath gums, and other minute details that always occur in nature and rarely occur in prosthetics.

One alternative to acrylic is a solid piece of zirconia that makes up the entire prosthesis. These designs can be good solutions for certain patients, but they also have some drawbacks and are therefore reserved for specific indications and are not our standard choice. Our preferred design, unlike restorations milled out of one single piece of zirconia, is to have our teeth be individually hand-crafted to add as much lifelike characterization as possible. Each crown is a piece of art that is shaded and stained to look as natural in that specific patient’s mouth as possible. Using individual crowns instead of one big, solid row of teeth also allows for the teeth to be far more translucent. Translucency in teeth is the main factor that makes our eyes notice when a tooth doesn’t match its neighbors. An opaque, dull crown jumps out to the observer’s eye, as natural teeth allow lots of light to pass through them. Our individual crowns are able to recreate much of nature’s design, and the final product is incredibly lifelike. We want you to be noticed because of how stunningly gorgeous your teeth look, not because someone can tell that you had dentistry done.

A final attribute that we rarely use but always appreciate is that, unlike acrylic or full-contour zirconia prostheses, or design allows for repairs and modifications to take place while still in the patient’s mouth or without having to send it back to the dental lab to be worked on. This gives everyone (the patient and the doctor) the peace of mind to know that in case of any needed update, there’s a faster, easier, less invasive, less embarrassing, more convenient solution quickly available to you.

We are so confident in our materials and designs that there are no dietary restrictions at all.  In fact, we encourage you to get back to living your life the way you want to (and the way you should!) -- enjoying any food you desire, smiling with confidence, and going through your day without any fear, discomfort, or concern about your teeth. Hyrbid dentures don’t just replace teeth; they truly restore personalities, quality of life, and happiness!

If you’re curious if a hybrid denture is right for you, or you know it’s something you’re ready for, please come have a consult with us so we can show you first hand how we can give you something to smile about.