Dental Bridges

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When it’s time to replace a missing tooth, many patients choose a dental bridge for a secure, reliable solution. This conservative, restorative dentistry treatment eliminates the hole in your smile and delivers a repair that both looks and feels natural. Dental bridges are available from the experienced dental team at Downtown Dental in Los Angeles.

What Is a Dental Bridge?

A dental bridge is aptly named because it creates a bridge between two teeth to fill the space left by a missing tooth. Here’s how it works:

  • The teeth on either side of the gap are filed down and shaped to accommodate the bridge.
  • The bridge is clasped to these nearby, treated teeth.
  • The bridge supports a false tooth in the middle to fill the hole.
  • Porcelain crowns are bonded to the neighboring teeth to anchor the bridge in place for a secure dental restoration.
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A bridge is a non-surgical way to replace one or many teeth. A bridge uses the adjacent teeth as anchors to support the missing tooth or teeth. With today’s dental advancement – a bridge can be fabricated in a fairly short period of time, using a metal or nonmetal foundation. Don’t let that missing tooth affect he way you speak eat and smile. Bridges yield immediate results that last a lifetime. Ask your dentist what type of bridge maybe right for you.


For a dental bridge to be a viable solution, the teeth surrounding the space in your smile must be healthy so they can serve as a concrete foundation for the restoration. Once in place, the bridge is a stable solution that prevents the wear of surrounding teeth and maintains the integrity of your smile.

Your budget, preferences, and your dentist’s recommendations all influence the materials of which your bridge is made. Usually, the choices include porcelain fused to ceramic or porcelain fused to metal. No matter which option is used, the results will be a strong, customized dental solution that completes your smile.

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Are You a Good Candidate for a Dental Bridge?

The reason for your missing tooth must be addressed before any dental restoration can get underway. If you have suffered dental trauma that knocked the tooth out, the area will need to be examined to make sure no pieces remain. Nearby teeth will also need to be checked for stability before the appropriate restoration can be decided upon.

If a tooth needed to be extracted because of a severe tooth infection that could not be fixed with root canal therapy, the area will need to heal before a dental bridge or any other restoration can be put in place. If your tooth was lost because of gum disease, your entire mouth will need to be treated for this infection to make sure it is healthy and capable of supporting a dental restoration.

Dental Bridges - Downtown Dental, CA

The location of your missing tooth will also impact whether you are a good candidate for a dental bridge. Depending on the circumstances, other restorations may need to be considered, like dental implants.

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The Importance of Replacing Missing Teeth

It can be tempting to ignore the space left behind by a missing tooth, especially if it is a molar and not all that noticeable when you smile. However, this is a risky decision – every tooth in your mouth has an important job to do, including helping you bite, chew, and speak.

If you do not replace a missing tooth, you can develop any of the following problems:

  • Floating teeth: Over time, teeth on either side of a missing tooth will float and shift to fill the space it left behind. This can cause tissue damage, misalignment, and gaps.
  • Altered face shape: Each tooth is a placeholder in your smile that both supports and stimulates the jawbone. A missing tooth can affect the shape of your face and make you look older and lead to a compressed look.
  • Difficulty eating: When you eat, food will settle in the open area of your mouth, and the hole will also affect how you bite and chew.
  • Poor speech: If a missing tooth is prominent, your articulation and diction will be affected, which will make the tooth’s absence that much more noticeable.

Get a Dental Bridge in Los Angeles

You want to smile, speak, bite, and chew with confidence again. A dental bridge can deliver on all these wishes and, with proper care, last for decades and keep your smile complete and beautiful. The only question you need to answer is whether a dental bridge is right for you. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Mungcal and his team at Downtown Dental in Los Angeles to learn more.

  • Dr. Don Mungcal

    Dr. Don Mungcal

  • Dr. Tara Mavadat

    Dr. Tara Mavadat

  • Dr. Ivan Chan

    Dr. Ivan Chan

As the cornerstone and founder of Downtown Dental, Dr. Don Mungcal is a proactive and exceptionally talented dentist who is determined to contribute to the health and wellbeing of his community by attending to their dental care needs.

With over 28 years of experience and service, Dr. Mungcal makes it his responsibility to be the best version of himself by being his patients’ go-to point for any and all dental concerns. In addition to being meticulous in his work ethic, he is also an individual who understands development and change. He updates and informs himself constantly through various continuous educational programs that he undertakes. He also invests in the latest state-of-the-art technology to provide world-class dental services.

Dr. Mungcal graduated from UCLA and the University of the Pacific Dental School and is presently a member of several acclaimed medical associations, including the California Dental Society.

Dr. Tara Mavadat was always passionate about dentistry and is committed to helping patients achieve excellent oral health and beautiful smiles that last long. Having earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of the Pacific Dugoni School of Dentistry, she focuses on comprehensive general dentistry with an emphasis on preventive dentistry. Her primary goals are to provide comfort and quality as well as exceptional esthetic outcomes to every patient.

Dr. Ivan Chan is enthusiastic about dentistry and his patients' oral health and is dedicated to providing compassionate and effective care. He is a highly skilled dentist who received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego. He earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) at the University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry.

Dr. Chan has extensive training in general dentistry. He focuses on creating lasting smiles while attempting to prevent gum disease and cavities. He looks forward to assisting you with all your needs while assuring you that your trust is always in good hands, regardless of your needs!

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Oral Cancer Screening Video

Oral Cancer Screening Video
Every patient at Downtown Dental undergoes a thorough check for oral cancer and other dental health issues. This video shows how it’s done.
Here at downtown Dental, we take oral health and cancer screenings very serious. This month is November and it’s the month of oral health cancer awareness and screenings. Every patient we examined thoroughly, we look and we check their lips, tongue and we check for any abnormalities or bumps. At home you should also check to make sure that everything looks okayLeava is going to demonstrate what in oral health cancer screening is and what we examine. So, we first start off by checking all the lips. We make sure that the lips look healthy and that we palpate them, which is touching them and making sure that there’s nothing anormal. Then we go into the mucosa and check the cheeks. We’re going to look and check the hard palate as well as the soft palate. This might tickle a little. We checked the posterior of the tongue. Do you, Viola, go ahead and say, aaaaaa. We check the lateral sides of the tongue. Go ahead and sit your tongue showed up great. And we also check the floor of the mouth. Get the tongue to the roof of your mouth. Good all clear. Oral cancer is especially important to check the patients who are smokers, alcohol drinkers and we thank you for watching the video.

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