A dental bridge is an excellent way to replace missing teeth. These "fixed appliances" literally do what they say -- they bridge the gap created by one or more missing teeth. A bridge typically is composed of two crowns placed on the teeth on either side of the gap and a false tooth/teeth in between. The false teeth can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain, or a combination of these materials. Dental bridges are supported by natural teeth or implants.
Bridges provide many benefits for the dental patient:
- They help restore your smile.
- They help restore your ability to properly chew and speak.
- They maintain the shape of your face.
- They ensure the forces in your bite are distributed properly.
- They can prevent remaining teeth from drifting out of position.
There are three primary bridges that dentists utilize:
- Traditional bridges create a crown for the tooth or implant on either side of the missing tooth, with a false tooth in between. Traditional bridges are the most common type of bridge and are made of either porcelain fused to metal or ceramics. Porcelain fixed bridges are the most popular, because they resemble your natural teeth.
- Cantilever bridges are used when there are adjacent teeth on only one side of the gap.
- Maryland bonded bridges (also called a resin-bonded bridge or a Maryland bridge) are made of plastic teeth and gums supported by a metal framework. Metal wings on each side of the bridge are bonded to your existing teeth.
Are you missing any teeth? Talk to Dr. Sicher about the type of bridge that would be best for your situation.
