Dental Bridges
Dental bridges do exactly what the word says, they bridge the gaps created by missing teeth.
A dental bridge is made up of two crowns for the still intact teeth on either side of the gap. These anchoring teeth are also called the two abutment teeth. Between these two one or more false teeth complete the dental bridge. The false teeth are correctly called pontics. Pontics are constructed from different materials like i.e. gold, porcelain, alloys, or also a combination of any of these materials. Dental bridges can be supported either by natural teeth or by implants.
A dental bridge has many important functions and benefits: For starters, a bridge will restore your smile and make you forget the missing tooth. A bridge also restores your ability to chew properly and to speak. By adding the missing tooth or theeth, a bridge also maintains the shape of your face and properly distributes the forces of your bite to avoid long therm damages to the other teeth and finally by introducing the missing tooth, a bridge presents the other teeth from drifting out of their natural position. You see: If you have missing theeth, it’s a good idea to replace them to recreate the balance in your mouth.
Different Types of Dental Bridges
Dentists usually place on of the 3 main types of dental bridges, depending on the situation in your mouth: To start with there is the traditional bridge. Here the dentist creates a crown for the tooth or implant on both sides of the missing tooth. The pontic (artificial tooth) is in between. Traditional bridges are the most used type of bridge. They can be constructed with porcelain fused to metal or with pure ceramics. A cantilever bridge is used when only on one side of the missing tooth natural teeth are still intact. The bridge is attached to these natural teeth just on one side. And finally, there is the Maryland bonded bridge (sometimes called resin-bonded bridge or Maryland bridge). A resin-bonded bridge is constructed with plastic teeth and plastic gums and it’s supported by a metal frame. The metal wings on both sides of the bridge are then bonded to the natural teeth on the side of the missing tooth.
What are the Procedures to get a Dental Bridge
The plamenet of a dental bridge
Usually it takes two visits to the dentist to receive a dental bridge:
On the first visit to your dentis, he will prepare the two abutment teeth so that later the bridge can be properly fixed. This means that the dentist will reshape the two teeth by removing a part of enamel to make room for the crown to be placed over them. Once this is done, he will make an impressions of your teeth. This impression serves as model for the technician to construct the bridge, pontic, and crowns in the dental laboratory. To protect the now exposed teeth and gums from damage, your dentist will fit a temporary bridge for you to wear until your dental bridge ready.
On the second visit to the dentist, the temporary bridge will be removed and your new permanent bridge will be fitted initially. Usually some small adjustments are necessary to make sure your feel comfortable. It is possible, that a few additional visits are needed to check the fit of the metal framework and bite. How many visits are necessary depends on the patient and the denstist involved. Soemtimes a dental bridge is first only fixed temporarily for a couple of weeks to make sure it is fitting properly. When patient and dentist agree that the fit is perfect, the bridge is then permanently cemented into place.
There are specialized dentists who place bridges very often. As with all specialist medical doctors, when a procedure is frequent, the routine of the team is higher and the outcome often better than with a dentist who only a few times per year needs to construct a bridge. It might be a good idea to ask your dentist how often he performs the procedure and then to decide if you want him to do it for you.