Welcome to the first installment of a new series I’m adding to the blog called Bridging the Gap.  Everyday I come across funny, odd, or even relevant search terms that have led people to this blog.  While some are entertaining, some are legitimate questions that people ask in attempts to understand more about dentistry and how it relates to them.  Sometimes I’m sure my answers will be informative, and other times, it will give me a chance to just be snarky.  Or maybe it will be a little of both.  Either way, it will be my best attempt at being real in order to bridge the gap, whatever that gap may be.

Without further ado… there’s no better way to introduce the series than with this question…

Will my bridge come out if I sneeze?

A man mid-sneeze. Gross. Photo credit: Wikipedia

Seriously, who’s asking that question?

That was my first thought, but as I started to really think about it, that’s a pretty unfair initial reaction by me.  Sometimes we assume other people have the same knowledge base that we do.  This is why patients come to dentists– because they need our expertise in an area they weren’t trained.  I can’t even begin to tell you how clueless I am about my car or even the air conditioning in my house.  It’s actually a really good question.

Warning: the next paragraph is really boring, yet informative.

So here is the scoop: a bridge is cemented onto your prepared teeth or implants and is extremely strong.  It won’t come out so easily.  If it’s designed to be taken in and out of your mouth whenever you want, then it is not a bridge; it is a partial, formally known as a removable partial denture.  When you get a standard bridge, it generally takes 2 appointments.  On the first appointment, you leave with a temporary bridge that is cemented on temporarily.  We do this deliberately, so it is easy to remove it when you return for the final restoration.  I guess it’s possible that a temporary bridge can come out if you sneeze.

How did this question bring up my blog?

Finally on page 40 of the google search, this was the first webpage to come up that addressed the specific question.

And on page 41, my blog appeared.  Have you ever searched through 41 pages?  I think the farthest I ever got was to page 5 before I lost patience, figuring the terms were irrelevant at that point.  This person is diligent!  So, to the person asking this question… take the time you spent searching through 41 google pages and use that time to see your dentist or maybe even an ENT doc.  Because if you’re bridge is coming out when you sneeze, either something is wrong with your bridge, or something is wrong with your sneeze.