Dental Bridges – What You Need To Know

Excerpt: If you have multiple teeth missing next to one another, you may need a dental bridge, as the other teeth can drift out of position. A loss of teeth may result in a change in your bite overtime.

Posted on: April 6, 2022

Dental Bridge Fast Facts

They are made up of abutment and pontic teeth.
There is 4 type of dental bridges, traditional, cantilever, maryland, and implant-supported bridges.
Dental bridges or partial dentures can be potentially used as alternatives to dental bridges.

What Is A Dental Bridge?

A dental bridge is a grouping of interconnected crowns. The crowns will be made to look similar to your existing teeth so they will blend in easier if possible. They are usually made out of zirconia, or porcelain that is fused to metal depending on what the dentist will recommend.

If you have multiple teeth missing next to one another, you may need a dental bridge, as the other teeth can drift out of position. A loss of teeth may result in a change in your bite over time.

How Many Types Of Dental Bridges Are There?

There are four main types of dental bridges:

Traditional – A traditional dental bridge consists of a false tooth or teeth being held in place by dental crowns that have been cemented onto each of the abutment teeth.
Cantilever – The pontic in a cantilever dental bridge is secured by a dental crown that is cemented by one abutment tooth.
Maryland – Maryland dental bridges employ two natural abutment teeth, one on each side of the gap.
Implant-Supported – These bridges use dental implants as opposed to crowns or frameworks.

Who Needs A Dental Bridge?

If you have multiple teeth missing, especially neighboring teeth, it can seriously impact your oral health in a number of ways.

Restore your smile
Restore the ability to properly chew
Restore your speech and pronunciation
Maintain the shape of your face
Re-adjusting your bite to properly distribute the force when you chew
Preventing your remaining teeth from moving out of the correct position

What Does A Dental Bridge Cost?

There are many variables that can affect the price including:

Number of teeth needed to fill the gap
Materials used, such as composite resin, zirconia, or metal alloy covered in resin
Complexity/difficulty of the placement
Additional treatments for other dental issues, such as gum disease

A typical dental bridge has:

Abutment Teeth – A dentist will place two dental crowns on the sides of the gap, these anchoring teeth will secure the bridge in place.
Pontics – These are false teeth; depending on how long the bridge is, that will fill the gap of the bridge between the abutment teeth.

Are There Any Alternatives To Dental Bridges?

Dental bridges are generally the best solution to filling a gap in your teeth, however, if a dental bridge is not an option you can use, partial dentures can work. Dentures are removable false teeth, you can have a set of dentures that will cover only the impacted area.

A dental implant can also be an option for bridges, this will be up to the dentist’s opinion on your eligibility. You should follow the advice of your dentist to find the best solution for you.

Are Dental Implants Better Than A Dental Bridge?

A dental implant can be a better option than a dental bridge depending on the situation of the gap, but this is not always the case. If there are enough of the teeth remaining to support abutment teeth then a bridge makes more sense than an implant. An implant requires surgical implementation whereas a bridge is not nearly as destructive.

If there is not enough support for abutment teeth on the bridge then it will not be an option. A dental implant will be used since no support is needed for a dental implant.