Dental Bridges
While crowns help restore the appearance of badly damaged teeth (where fillings cannot adequately be used), a bridge is a false tooth that is fused to a crown. It is used when the tooth is completely gone. One or more teeth are crowned, and used to help anchor the false tooth, known as a “pontic”, in effect creating a bridge, to fill the gap created by a missing tooth.
There are several different types of bridges:
- Fixed bridge – Traditionally this means that there are two crowns and the pontic, or false tooth is fused to them. This technique is most similar to a regular crown procedure. A fixed bridge is considered permanent, and it cannot be taken out of the mouth like typical denture work can.
- Cantilever bridge – Where there are areas of much less stress, usually on the front teeth a cantilever bridge may be the right choice. A Cantilever bridge is used where there are teeth on only one side of the available space to anchor the pontic, and not the other.
- Removable bridge – Sometimes where there are not enough teeth left in the mouth to use any of the other bridge types, a partial denture structure such as a removable bridge may be used.. The maintenance and cleaning factors are greater, but one of the most compelling reasons for a patient to go with a removable bridge are its relatively low cost.
As an alternative to bridges, a partial denture or permanent dental implant may be a consideration. Dr. Jennifer Bartlett has been performing this procedure for her patients for many years, enhancing their smile and improving their overall dental health.
Dr. Bartlett examines the affected teeth to determine the extent of damage that is present. If the damage is not too extensive, she will typically prepare the tooth so that it is ready for the crown by carefully shaping the tooth structure, to ensure the crown fits properly on the affected tooth and is positioned appropriately between the adjacent teeth. She will then take dental impressions of the area to be crowned, and bridged by comparing the surrounding teeth to the affected tooth.
Finally, a temporary crown will be fitted to the tooth to protect it and last it while the permanent crown is being prepared. A bridge procedure is performed over the course of more than one visit, as a professional laboratory needs the time to prepare and shape the new crown. The tooth impressions she took earlier, are used as a model to create the new bridge.
Once the permanent crown is ready, it is affixed to the tooth structure, and depending upon the type of bridge needed, the bridge structure is placed and adjusted for the proper fit.