Dental bridges for Westminster patients are made at Safari Dentistry and Implants, about 3 miles south on Goldenwest St in Huntington Beach. A bridge replaces one to three missing teeth in two visits, it is made from a digital scan rather than impression trays, and the fee is written down after your insurance is checked.
Dental bridge or implant: which is better?
A bridge is faster and costs less up front, and insurance is more likely to help pay for it. An implant takes months and costs more, but it leaves the neighboring teeth untouched and keeps the bone in the gap. For Westminster patients the deciding factor is usually the teeth beside the gap: if they already need crowns, a bridge does two jobs at once; if they are untouched, an implant spares them.
- Bridge
- 2 visits over 2 to 3 weeks, lasts 10 to 15 years
- Implant and crown
- 3 to 9 months, lasts 20+ years, needs enough bone
- Partial denture
- 2 to 4 visits, lowest cost, removable
- Neighboring teeth
- Crowned for a bridge, untouched for an implant
- Bone in the gap
- Shrinks slowly under a bridge, preserved by an implant
Why a periodontist looks at the anchor teeth
A bridge is only as good as the teeth holding it. If those teeth have bone loss or gum disease, the bridge loosens with them, which is the usual reason a bridge fails early. The periodontist measures the bone and gum around each anchor tooth first, treats any disease, and says plainly when the anchors are too weak and an implant or a partial is the safer plan.
Why Westminster patients choose Safari for a dental bridge
Westminster patients often want a missing tooth replaced without surgery and with help from their dental plan. A bridge fits both, and the front desk checks PPO, HMO and Medi-Cal Dental benefits before the plan is priced so there are no surprises. The periodontist examines the teeth that will hold the bridge first, because a bridge on weak anchors is money spent twice.
Bridge cost, insurance and payment plans
Westminster patients get a written fee for the whole bridge, including the temporary, the fitting and the follow-up visit, and a second written fee for the implant alternative. Dental plans usually treat a bridge as major restorative work and pay a percentage up to the annual maximum; some have a waiting period or a missing-tooth clause, and the front desk checks both before you decide. The balance can be spread over monthly payments.
What to bring to your first visit from Westminster
- Any recent X-rays, or the old bridge if it has come out.
- Your insurance card or Medi-Cal Dental member number; benefits and any missing-tooth clause are checked before the plan is priced.
- The date the tooth was lost or is due to be removed; some plans ask for it.
- Any implant quote you already have, so a bridge and an implant can be compared line by line.
Getting to the office from Westminster
Safari Dentistry and Implants is at 16511 Goldenwest St, Unit 101, Huntington Beach, CA 92647, about 3 miles from Westminster and usually about 10 minutes by car. Goldenwest St runs straight south out of Westminster into Huntington Beach. Stay on it past Bolsa Ave, Westminster Blvd, McFadden and Edinger; the office is on the right at Heil Ave, just before Warner. From the east side of the city, Heil Ave or Edinger Ave west to Goldenwest works too.
- Hours: Monday to Thursday, 10 AM to 4 PM. Same-day emergency time is held each open day.
- Parking: free, in the lot at the door, with a level entrance.
- Patients come from: Little Saigon along Bolsa Ave, the Westminster Mall area at the 405, the Civic Center district and Midway City on the Huntington Beach border.