Dental Bridges

Dental Bridges

A dental bridge is one method to fill a gap created by a missing tooth (or teeth). Dental bridge or pontic is a custom-made false tooth or teeth, that is permanently placed between two healthy teeth, filling in the area left by a missing tooth or teeth. The bridge is held in place by crowns placed on the healthy teeth on each side of space to be filled.

Benefits of Dental Bridges

• Restores your smile
• Restores your ability to properly chew and speak
• Maintains the shape of your face
• Distributes the forces in your bite properly by replacing missing teeth
• Prevents remaining teeth from drifting out of position
• Helps preserve the natural function and position of the teeth
• Restores and maintains natural bite

Types of Dental Bridges

Types of Dental Bridge Materials

There are three basic types of materials for dental bridges:

1. Porcelain fused to metal dental bridges
2. All porcelain dental bridges
3. All metal dental bridges (Gold)

The all porcelain dental bridges and porcelain fused to metal (PFM) dental bridges are tooth colored bridges. PFM dental bridges are usually used to restore back teeth where the forces of chewing and grinding are strongest. All porcelain dental bridges are the most aesthetic and are used almost exclusively for front teeth where the need for strength is not as critical. Gold dental bridges are the most durable and offer the most precise fit. Gold dental bridges does not chip.

The all-ceramic porcelain bridges used at BIDC includes:

• Lava Zirconia from 3M
• Cercon from DeguDent
• IPS Empress from Ivoclar Vivadent
• Procera NobelEsthetics from Nobel Biocare