Need a little Bridge help please.
 

Back in October I had a crown come off and due to decay decided to have the tooth pulled and a Bridge installed. I had the permanent Bridge installed in late December 2012 and while the fit seems good, I am having a real problem when eating anything at all. Food seems to have a spongy texture that is so frustrating that it takes away the desire to eat. It does not affect the taste of the food, just the consistency. The Dentist is perplexed and says the only thing it could be is that the gums where the extracted tooth was must need to re-form. Floss cannot be threaded between the gum and bottom of Bridge tooth, even the Dentist could thread it, so I believe it is the sensation of the gum that is making the spongy feeling. Can this happen when the gum is right up against the bottom of the Bridge tooth. Interdental brushes can't get through either. This is driving me nuts so any help would be appreciated.

Hi rdailey,

Obviously the bridge is not fitting properly along the gum line of the pontic, where the tooth was removed. That spongy or squishy sensation you have is the bridge pushing up against the gum. I am surprised that the gum tissue is not sore! Again obviously you should be able to use a floss threader underneath that portion of the bridge to clean it and because you can't means it fits to far up into the gum.

The spongy sensation may also be indicative of saliva getting in underneath that area. If that is the case, then bacteria can get in there also and since you are unable to clean it out, decay could form on those adjacent teeth holding the bridge in.

Sometimes a dentist will attempt to make an adjustment along the gum line margin of the porcelain to allow proper cleaning. The only problems with that are.....
One... the drilling on the porcelain surface can weaken the porcelain and cause it to crack sometime down the road.
Two... there may already be bacteria accumulating in that area which cannot be seen unless the bridge is removed.

I hate to tell you this but...... this is not going to improve on it's own and the bridge should probably be remade.

I know.... not what you wanted to hear :/ If your dentist does not want to correct this problem, then consult with someone else unaffiliated with him and get their opinion. The problem with that is.... frequently one dentist will not go against another one. But some will.

Keep us posted okay...
Bryanna

Thanks Bryanna
 

You're right, not what I wanted to hear, but also what I was expecting. He did mention that if it got no better that he could go in and laser some of the gum under the Bridge tooth so I could clean it regularly. Is that the adjustment you spoke of, and you do not suggest that?
Thanks again.

Hi rdailey,

No, I was referring to cutting back on the actual porcelain on the pontic (fake tooth) where it meets the gum line.

Sometimes they will use a laser to reduce the amount of gum tissue along that margin. If you are going to do that, it should be done soon so that you can clean it better.

I would still get a second opinion on the fit of the bridge. It would be ideal to bring your x-rays with you and let the consulting dentist take an x-ray of that area to see how the bridge is fitting along the margins.

Bryanna

Gotcha, will be talking with them tomorrow. Thanks again for all your help.

Bryanna, I am scheduled to go back to the dentist on Wednesday and it is their plan to redo to bridge. They will take the permanent one off and make a new impression and then put on a temporary til the new one is ready. My question to you is do you think this should solve the problem of a spongy texture to all that I eat. I assume they will just make the bridge a little shorter so it won't touch the top of the gum (this is a bottom bridge), but I worry that possibly they might damage one of the two anchor teeth when cutting off the crowns. Thanks.

One other thing I forgot to ask about. Since this ordeal first started I have noticed that most every day I feel sick to my stomach for a few hours. No other syptoms but I wonder if any of this could be causing this. No pain, just the nausea.

Hi rdailey,

Where is this bridge in your mouth? What tooth was removed?

Bryanna

It is lower left side, 2nd tooth from the back. Back tooth is one of the anchors.

rdailey,

Is the last anchor tooth a wisdom tooth?? Meaning you had your second molar tooth #18 removed?
Or did you have your wisdom tooth removed at some point and then tooth #19 removed?

Bryanna

No it is not a wisdom tooth, those were all removed long ago.

Rdailey,

The reason I asked about where the bridge was is because when a bridge is placed on the lower arch and a wisdom tooth is the back anchor tooth... sometimes the angulation of the bridge is odd and this could cause a squishy or sensitive sensation when you bite down.

Okay, so the bridge is replacing the first molar tooth #19. This should be a relatively straight forward bridge to prep for providing both existing teeth have enough tooth structure above the gum line to prep for crowns. If either of these teeth have tilted in toward the open space, then that could make the prep a little complicated.

One way to tell if this bridge was too snug against the gum tissue is when the bridge is removed there would be a dark red indentation in that area of gum where the pontic (fake crown) was digging into the gum. So ask to see the area with a mirror when the bridge is removed.

Hopefully the re prep will be minimal and the new bridge will fit perfectly.

Keep us posted...
Bryanna

Thanks Bryanna, unfortunately I am a pansy and will will be under the influence of a drug to make me unaware and so probably will not have the ability to ask about the gums. LOL. But I am hoping they will do the right thing and I will come out OK. Thanks for your opinion, it makes me feel much better.

Bryanna, still have not solved the squishy or spongy feel since I had my bridge installed on the lower left. However, I just realized that the bridge tooth is directly below another bridge tooth on the upper left. Is it possible that when food is bitten between two bridge teeth that it might give that spongy feeling? I go back tomorrow and I have a feeling he will want to replace the bridge completely and I don't want to do that if the above possibility exists. Thanks

Hi rdailey,

I doubt that is the problem. Spongy or squishy means saliva is getting in someplace. What did the dentist say today?

Bryanna

Once he realized that the two bridge teeth were meeting when chewing, he said he agreed that it was probably the problem. He said that all my life I have always had a bridge tooth coming down onto a tooth that was still there and alive, and that food being chewed by a bridge tooth on top and one on the bottom would, or could, give the feeling of sponginess due to their natural give when chewing. Everything else looks very good, the bridge itself, the gums, and so rather than have them do a new bridge and risk damaging one of the anchor teeth, I decided to just try to get used to it. There is no pain and no loss of taste. Very strange but the only thing different is that now those two teeth are both bridge teeth and before the bottom one was real. Thanks.

rdailyey,

A bridge biting against another bridge will not cause a spongy sensation unless you are referring to the sensation being in between the upper and lower teeth as you chew together....??

You had originally posted...
<<<Floss cannot be threaded between the gum and bottom of Bridge tooth, even the Dentist could thread it, so I believe it is the sensation of the gum that is making the spongy feeling. Can this happen when the gum is right up against the bottom of the Bridge tooth. Interdental brushes can't get through either. This is driving me nuts so any help would be appreciated. >>

You made reference to the gum below the fake tooth and that you could not floss underneath the bridge. I assumed this was where you felt the spongy sensation when you chewed.

Two opposing bridges may somewhat alter the chewing sensation because it is not bare tooth against bare tooth. But anytime you have fillings in opposing teeth it's the same principal. Bridgework is a tad different than individual fillings because the teeth are now connected. But I'm not so sure that would make it feel spongy upon chewing. Are you able to floss underneath the fake tooth now? Take notice when you chew as to where this spongy sensation is coming from.... see if you can pinpoint it.

Bryanna



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