Like other things, teeth need each other for support. When one tooth is lost, the biting force changes on the teeth next to the space, and they begin to shift. When a tooth no longer has anything to chew against, it begins to extrude out of the socket. You can eventually end up losing the tooth. As your bite changes, it gets harder and harder to chew your food. This can cause damage to your jaw-joint the TMJ. It’s much harder to clean teeth that have shifted. Harmful plaque and tartar accumulate in these new hard-to-reach places, which can result in cavities, gum disease, and permanent bone loss. Like other bridges, a dental bridge uses abutments for support to hold it in place. Bridges are custom-crafted in a dental laboratory to precisely fit your teeth. A missing tooth really changes a person’s smile, but a bridge is a good way to get your smile back!