ThreeBestRated Award-winning dentist, Dr. Darcy Murphy, outlines the pros and cons of fixed dental bridges

Losing a perfect smile over a missing tooth is quite disappointing. Teeth play an integral part in making someone’s smile elegant and attractive. However, people with missing teeth tend to feel embarrassed when they happen to smile. Over the years, Dentists have developed several procedures to help people with broken and missing teeth. One such marvelous invention of dentistry is the fixed dental bridge.

Although the fixed dental bridge has been in application for a long-time, getting to know its pros and cons from a specialist will help people opting for it. Dr. Darcy Murphy, a 2021 ThreeBestRated® award-winning dentist from New Westminster, BC, states its pros and cons.

Pros of Fixed dental bridge:

• Bridges take less treatment time and waiting periods between appointments than an alternative treatment like an implant.

• They replace a missing tooth or teeth.

• Bridges are more economical than an implant but less economical than a partial denture. Often dental insurance plans will cover more for bridges than implants.

• They fit better than a partial denture. As partial dentures come in and out of the mouth (removable), bridges go through a process of bonding or cementing to adjacent teeth.

• Usually, no bone grafting is required. It is one less procedure to do and one less procedure to be billed.

Cons of Fixed dental bridge:

• When preparing for bridges, dentists have to remove tooth structure on adjacent teeth so the bridge can be cemented or bonded in place. These teeth could be untouched teeth that we are shaving down to replace the missing tooth beside them.

• Usually bridges do not typically last as long as implants.

• It is harder to keep clean as you can’t traditionally floss. Whether it be 3, 4, 5+ teeth, you are replacing, the bridge is one unit.

• The bone under the bridge is still resorbing as it has no function. No tooth is there. This part of the jaw gets smaller over time.

• If you get decay under the bridge, the whole bridge typically needs to be cut off, and a new one has to be made.

About Dr. Darcy Murphy – Queen’s Park Dental

Dr. Darcy Murphy is an eminent dentist in New Westminster. He pursued his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. His learning did not stop with his graduation. His unquenched thirst for learning earned him a one-year Dentistry General Practice Residency (GPR) at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton. Dr Murphy is a member of good standing in several dental societies and associations. In 2019, Dr Murphy was awarded a Fellowship with the International Congress of Oral Implantologists (ICOI) in New York.

Dr. Darcy Murphy has been practicing dentistry since May 2003. By 2009, he purchased the dental practice from Dr. Lyle Agar and named it after the largest park in New Westminster, Queen’s Park. His service to the people of New Westminster through Queen’s Park Dental has been paramount. That has earned him the name of best dental practice several times in the local newspapers. Among his numerous achievements, Dr. Murphy considers his volunteer work as a Forensic Dentist in helping put closure to families that have lost someone they loved as his best achievement in his career. He feels grateful and honored to be listed in the Three Best Rated®. Dr Murphy says, “It makes me feel that my team and I are on the right track and continue to provide the highest quality of care and attention to all of our patients.”

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