Bridges

Bridges — Fixed and Permanent

A bridge is a dental device that is used to fill a space where a tooth has been removed. A bridge may be necessary where spaces exist in the mouth to prevent:

Multiple shifting of the teeth that can lead to biting (occlusion) problems and/or (TMJ) jaw problems and resultant periodontal disease. Bridges safeguard the integrity of existing teeth and help maintain a healthy vibrant smile.

There are three types of bridges, namely:

Fixed bridge – the most popular among the three, consists of a filler tooth that is attached to two crowns, which fits over the adjacent teeth to hold the bridge in place.

“Maryland” bridge – commonly used to replace missing front teeth, consists of a filler that is attached to metal bands that are bonded to the adjacent teeth and the metal bands are hidden with a white colored composite resin.

Cantilever bridge – a type often used when there are teeth on only one side of the span. A typical 3 unit cantilever bridge consists of 2 crowned teeth positioned next to each other on the same side of the missing tooth space. The filler tooth is then connected to the two crowned teeth, which extend into the missing tooth space or end.

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