Bridges
A dental bridge is a false tooth, known as a pontic, which is fused between two porcelain crowns to fill in the area left by a missing tooth. The two crowns hold it in place and are attached onto your teeth on each side of the false tooth. This is known as a fixed bridge. This procedure is used to replace one or more missing teeth.
Bridges can reduce your risk of gum disease, help correct some bite issues and even improve your speech.
If you are missing one or more teeth, whether due to periodontal disease, injury, or decay, a dental bridge may be the right option to help restore your smile and maintain the shape of your face. There are many advantages to a dental bridge; it will restore your ability to eat and speak properly, distribute the forces in your bite properly by replacing missing teeth, and prevent remaining teeth from drifting out of position.
Dental bridges literally bridge the gap created by one or more missing teeth. Sometimes called a fixed partial denture, a bridge is made up of two crowns for the teeth on either side of the gap – these two anchoring teeth are called abutment teeth – and a false tooth/teeth in between. These false teeth are called pontics and can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain or a combination of these materials. Dental bridges are supported by natural teeth or implants. Unlike a denture, or removable bridge, which you can take out and clean, a fixed bridge can only be removed by a dentist.
There are several types of fixed dental bridges, including cantilever bridges and resin-bonded bridges. Typically, cantilever bridges require shaping of the teeth surrounding a missing tooth. Crowns are then placed on the shaped teeth. A resin-bonded bridge requires less preparation of adjacent teeth. It is often used to replace front teeth, provided that the gums are healthy and the surrounding teeth do not have extensive dental fillings.