Dental Bridges
A dental bridge is a false tooth that is used to fill the gap created by a missing tooth or teeth. A gap between your teeth can be potentially harmful to your dental health, as it can allow teeth to shift which can lead to occlusal (bite) problems or potential gum problems. Dental bridges help alleviate this problem by using the two surrounding teeth as anchors to hold a false tooth in the place where the gap is. Typically, porcelain crowns are placed over the adjacent teeth, and the false tooth, known as a pontic, is joined to these adjacent crowns.
Types of dental bridges
There are three types of dental bridges that are commonly used today
1. Traditional fixed bridge - This is the most common type of dental bridge, in which porcelain crowns are placed over the two surrounding teeth and used as anchors to hold the fale tooth in place. The false tooth is usually made of either porcelain fused to metal or ceramics.
2. Cantilever bridge – A cantilever bridge is used when teeth are present on only one side of the gap. These are used typically in areas of your mouth that doesn’t experience an intense chewing load, such as your front teeth.
3. Resin-bonded bridge - In a resin-bonded bridge, reinforced composite wings are bonded to the sbacks of the adjacent teeth with resin and used to hold a laboratory processed composite false tooth in place. This type of bridge is typically used in areas of the mouth that undergo less stress, such as the front teeth. This type of bridge is commonly referred to as a "Maryland Bridge". Years ago, metal was used in the wings that bond to the adjacent teeth, but advances in reinforced composite have led to much more esthetic and retentive bridges.
How it's done
A minimum of two visits are required for placing a dental bridge. At the first visit, three important steps are completed. Firstly, the surrounding teeth are prepared to be fitted with a crown. This may including filing down the tooth so that the crown can fit over it. Secondly, an impression is taken of your teeth which will be sent to a laboratory to prepare the bridge and crown. Finally, the dentist fits your teeth with a temporary bridge to protect them while the bridge is prepared at the laboratory. Presently, we cannot do single visit bridges with our Cerec system.
At the second visit, the temporary bridge is removed and the new bridge received from the laboratory is fitted and adjusted. Multiple visits may be necessary to check and adjust the fit.
There are three types of dental bridges that are commonly used today
1. Traditional fixed bridge - This is the most common type of dental bridge, in which porcelain crowns are placed over the two surrounding teeth and used as anchors to hold the fale tooth in place. The false tooth is usually made of either porcelain fused to metal or ceramics.
2. Cantilever bridge – A cantilever bridge is used when teeth are present on only one side of the gap. These are used typically in areas of your mouth that doesn’t experience an intense chewing load, such as your front teeth.
3. Resin-bonded bridge - In a resin-bonded bridge, reinforced composite wings are bonded to the sbacks of the adjacent teeth with resin and used to hold a laboratory processed composite false tooth in place. This type of bridge is typically used in areas of the mouth that undergo less stress, such as the front teeth. This type of bridge is commonly referred to as a "Maryland Bridge". Years ago, metal was used in the wings that bond to the adjacent teeth, but advances in reinforced composite have led to much more esthetic and retentive bridges.
How it's done
A minimum of two visits are required for placing a dental bridge. At the first visit, three important steps are completed. Firstly, the surrounding teeth are prepared to be fitted with a crown. This may including filing down the tooth so that the crown can fit over it. Secondly, an impression is taken of your teeth which will be sent to a laboratory to prepare the bridge and crown. Finally, the dentist fits your teeth with a temporary bridge to protect them while the bridge is prepared at the laboratory. Presently, we cannot do single visit bridges with our Cerec system.
At the second visit, the temporary bridge is removed and the new bridge received from the laboratory is fitted and adjusted. Multiple visits may be necessary to check and adjust the fit.
