A dental bridge is used to fill the gap created by a missing tooth or teeth. A gap between your teeth can be potentially dangerous to your dental health, as it can cause your teeth to shift resulting in a change in your bite that could be painful; that’s only one potential problem to mention. Dental bridges help alleviate this problem by using the two surrounding teeth as anchors to hold a natural looking tooth-alike in the place where the gap is. There are two types of dental bridges that are commonly used today:
1. Traditional fixed bridge – This is the most common type of dental bridge, in which porcelain or zirconia crowns are placed over the two surrounding teeth protecting them while they serve as anchors to hold the middle tooth-alike piece in place.
2. Cantilever bridge – A cantilever bridge is used when teeth are present on only one side of the gap. These are used typically in areas of your mouth that doesn’t experience an intense chewing load, such as your front teeth.
How it’s done
A minimum of two visits are required for placing a dental bridge. At the first visit, three important steps are completed. First, the surrounding teeth are prepared to be fitted with a crown. This will include filing down the teeth so that the crown can fit over it. Second, an impression is taken of your teeth which will be sent to a laboratory . Finally, the dentist fits your teeth with a temporary bridge to protect them while the bridge is being prepared at the laboratory.
At the second visit, the temporary bridge is removed and the new bridge received from the laboratory is fitted and adjusted. Multiple visits may be necessary to check and adjust the fit.