Dental Bridge

A dental bridge is a type of fixed prosthesis that quite literally bridges the gap left by one or more missing teeth.  A dental bridge allows missing teeth to be replaced by permanently joining an artificial tooth or teeth (the pontic) to adjacent (abutment) teeth, crowns or implants. 

During your initial consultation, your dentist will assess which type of bridge best suits your needs, and discuss the suitable options with you.  Until then, here’s a breakdown of the types of bridges available.

A Dental Bridge can come in one of four types:-

1)      The Traditional Bridge

The Traditional Bridge is perhaps the most common form of bridge.  A Traditional Bridge involves the “crowning “of teeth directly adjacent to a missing tooth. The crowns are connected by, and act as a support to, the false tooth used to fill the space left by the missing tooth.  Traditional Bridges can be made of either porcelain fused to metal or ceramics.

2)      The Maryland Bridge

An alternative to the more common type of Traditional Bridge is the Maryland Bridge.  Unlike the Traditional Bridge, which requires abutment teeth to be crowned, the Maryland Bridge connects an artificial tooth to the adjacent teeth via a metal or porcelain framework.   The framework consists of wings that are bonded to the back of the natural teeth on either side of the missing tooth.  The strength of the bridge is limited, making it unsuitable for areas of the mouth where the teeth are subjected to biting force (e.g. the molars).  However, as the abutment teeth do not need to be crowned, this type of bridge does offer the advantage of allowing the integrity of the natural teeth to be preserved.

3)      The Cantilever Bridge

A Cantilever Bridge is similar to a Traditional Bridge, but in this instance, the false tooth is supported by a crown on only one side.  While this does not have the same degree of stability as a bridge supported on both sides, it does have the advantage of allowing patients who have natural teeth on only one side of a missing tooth to still enjoy the benefits of a bridge.

4)      The Implant-supported Bridge

An implant-supported bridge is similar to a Traditional Bridge.  However, rather than being supported by crowns or a metal framework, this type of bridge is supported by dental implants.  Typically, one implant is not placed for each missing tooth, but a series of implants can be then used to hold a bridge of connected crowns in place.  Such a bridge may consist of a false tooth suspended between two implant supported crowns.

The expected life of a bridge can vary depending on the type of bridge used and how well the bridge is maintained. As a general rule of thumb, we expect a bridge to last for decades with good oral hygiene and regular check-ups).

If you have missing teeth, you may be wondering whether it would be better to have a bridge or implants.  Your dentist will be able to talk through the best solution for you during your initial consultation, but for now, you can weigh up the options with the use of our handy guide:-

Implants may be the better choice if:

• You have heavily restored teeth which lack the physical structure needed to support a bridge.
• There is a possibility that your remaining natural teeth will be lost soon (bridges require the support of teeth adjacent to the space left by missing teeth.  If the adjacent teeth are likely to be compromised, a bridge is not recommended.
• The missing teeth are at the front of your mouth.  Implants fare better than bridges when used to replace front teeth.

A bridge may be the better choice if:

• You are looking for a less time-consuming, less expensive option than implants
• You lack sufficient bone in the jaw to support an implant but wish to avoid a bone augmentation
• You wish to restore the strength or change the shape, size and appearance of teeth adjacent to the missing tooth.  Abutment teeth are crowned as part of the process of fitting a bridge, so a bridge may the ideal way of “killing two birds with one stone”.