Bridges

Bridges

Bridges replace missing teeth by crowning teeth adjacent to the space for support and are fixed in place.

On the first appointment, teeth on either side of a space are “prepared” or trimmed (much like a crown). An impression is taken and sent to the lab.  A temporary bridge is placed with a temporary cement. At the next visit, the bridge is fitted and then cemented with a permanent cement.  Instructions are given how to clean around the supporting “capped” teeth and the “replacement” or pontic tooth. This replacement tooth/teeth looks like a tooth but only touches the gum and is splinted to the capped teeth as a unit. Specific techniques are required to keep the area and teeth clean.

Bridges are good as they replace missing teeth with a fixed prosthesis.  Unfortunately, they do require preparation of the supporting teeth which is not ideal if these teeth are virgin teeth or have very conservative fillings. If these teeth have large fillings and would benefit from being crowned (“capped”), then a bridge may be more applicable. Often dental implants are the preferred treatment of choice.