What are the Benefits of Dental Bridges?
• Restore your smile
• Restore your ability to properly chew and speak
• Maintain the shape of your face
• Distribute the forces in your bite properly by replacing missing teeth
• Prevent remaining teeth from drifting out of position What Types of Dental Bridges are Available?
 There are 3 main types of bridges:
1. Traditional bridges - include making a crown for the tooth or implant on either side of the absent tooth, with a pontic inside between them. Traditional bridges are the most frequent type of bridge and are made of both porcelain fused to metal and ceramics.
2. Cantilever bridges - are used when there are neighboring teeth on only one side of the missing tooth or teeth.
3. Maryland bonded bridges (also called a resin-bonded bridge or a Maryland bridge) - are made of plastic teeth and gums maintained by a metal framework. Metal wings on each side of the bridge are tied to your existing teeth. What is the Process for Obtaining a Dental Bridge? During the first visit, the abutment teeth are prepared. This involves recontouring teeth by removing a portion of enamel to allow room for a crown to be sited over them. After that, impressions of your teeth, which serve as a model for the bridge, pontic and crowns prepared by a dental laboratory, are made. Your dentist will create a temporary bridge for you to protect the uncovered teeth and gums while your bridge is being made. During the second visit, your temporary bridge will be removed and the new permanent bridge will be checked and adjusted, if necessary, to achieve a proper fit. Several visits may be required to check the fit of the metal framework and bite. This is dependent on each individual's case. If the dental bridge is a fixed (permanent) bridge, your dentist may temporarily cement it in place for a couple of weeks to make sure it is appropriate properly. After a few weeks, the bridge is permanently cemented into place.
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