What is a Dental Bridge?
If you have missing teeth, Dr. Henry can close – or bridge- the gaps in your smile with dental bridges. A dental bride is a false tooth (called a pontic) that is held in place by the abutment teeth on either side of the gap. Pontics are made to aesthetically blend with your natural teeth.
Dental bridge types
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 like 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 or porcelain 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. Considered the strongest and most stable system, an implant-supported bridge commonly requires two surgeries: one to embed the implants in the jawbone and a second surgery to place to bridge. I t can take a number of months for the procedure to be completely finished
Why do I need a dental bridge?
When you have a missing tooth or missing teeth, it can affect you in several ways. A dental bridge can address those changes, including:
1) Restoring your smile, 2) Restoring the ability to properly chew, 3) Maintaining your speech and pronunciation, 4) Maintaining the shape of your face, 5) Re-adjusting your bite to properly distribute the force when you chew, 6) Preventing your remaining teeth from moving out of the correct position.
