Dental Bridges
Engineers aren’t the only people who build bridges
What are dental bridges?
One of the many ways to replace a missing tooth/teeth is with a dental bridge. A dental bridge consists of two (or more) crowns on both sides of the missing tooth/teeth, connected by fake crown(s) in between that fill(s) the gap. The teeth on both ends, called abutment teeth, act as support for the bridge, while the fake crown(s) in between, called the pontic(s) replace(s) the missing tooth/teeth. The entire unit comes in a single piece and can be made using metal, porcelain fused to a metal base, zirconia or esthetic porcelain. The treatment time is usually slightly longer than a single crown appointment but the final bridge is usually ready to be delivered in 2-3 weeks, just like a single crown. Once the final bridge is cemented on, it is permanently fixed and should not come off.
Dental bridges are typically not the number one option when it comes to replacing teeth due to its more invasive nature and harder to clean around compared to a dental implant. However, in situations where a dental implant might not be a good option, a dental bridge can be a great alternative treatment.
Some of the pros of dental implants are simpler treatment that does not require surgeries (as opposed to dental implants), easier post-operation healing, shorting total treatment time (usually 2-3 weeks between two appointments), better esthetic results than dental implants in some cases and lower treatment cost in general.
On the flip side, the cons of dental implants include more invasiveness due to having to shave down the abutment teeth, more difficult to clean around due to the unit being all connected and you cannot floss directly between the crowns and higher repair cost (usually if a dental bridge needs to be replaced, the entire bridge needs to be sectioned off and the whole bridge re-done).