Dental Bridges
Are you tired of your removable partial dentures? Ever thought how great it would be to have your permanent teeth back again?
Permanent bridges will do just that! Brush them, floss them and take care of them just like your natural teeth… and get ready for that steak dinner! Dental bridges can last up to 15 years, or even longer, with good oral hygiene and regular checkups.
Dental bridges literally bridge the gap created by one or more missing teeth. A bridge is made up of two crowns one on each tooth on either side of the gap — these two anchoring teeth are called abutment teeth — and a false tooth/teeth in between is called the pontic.
There are four main types of dental bridges: Traditional, Cantilever, Maryland, and Implant-supported.
Traditional dental bridge- A traditional dental bridge consists of a false tooth or teeth being held in place by dental crowns that have been cemented onto each of the abutment teeth. A traditional bridge is the most popular type of dental bridge and can be used when you have natural teeth on both sides of the gap created by your missing tooth.
Cantilever dental bridge- Although similar to a traditional bridge, the pontic in a cantilever dental bridge is held in place by a dental crown that is cemented to only one abutment tooth. For a cantilever bridge, you only need one natural tooth next to the missing tooth gap.
Maryland dental bridge- Similar to a traditional bridge, Maryland dental bridges employ two natural abutment teeth, one on each side of the gap. However, while a traditional bridge uses dental crowns on the abutment teeth, a Maryland bridge uses a framework of either metal, porcelain, or composite material that is bonded onto the backs of the abutment teeth. Like a traditional bridge, a Maryland bridge can only be used when you have a natural tooth on each side of the gap caused by the missing tooth or teeth.
Implant-supported dental bridge- As the name implies, implant-supported bridges use dental implants as opposed to crowns or frameworks. Typically, one implant is surgically placed for every missing tooth, and these implants hold the bridge in position. If one implant for each missing tooth isn’t possible, the bridge may have a pontic suspended between two implant-supported crowns. It can take a number of months for the procedure to be completely finished.
