Four different types of dental bridges are available to you as choices for replacing missing teeth, whether they were pulled or fell out owing to serious structural damage or decay. A dental bridge comprises an artificial tooth or teeth (referred to as a pontic) that are attached to abutment teeth that are covered in crowns.

Dental bridges improve your smile by filling gaps, strengthening your bite, making it simpler to speak, preventing teeth from sliding into gaps, and making it easier to converse. The pontic typically blends in with your natural teeth and has a natural appearance.

The condition of the neighboring teeth, where the missing teeth are located, and the cost of the treatment can all affect your decision regarding the best dental bridge. Contact reputable Fort Lauderdale cosmetic dentistry if you’re thinking about recovering your smile.

Below is a description of the four primary types of dental bridges.

Standard Dental Bridge

One or more pontic teeth, also known as abutment or anchoring teeth, are bonded to the neighboring natural teeth to form a typical dental bridge. Crowns are utilized to strengthen the abutment teeth, and metal or porcelain bonded to ceramics is frequently used for the pontics.

Dental Cantilever Bridge

Although a cantilever bridge looks like a conventional bridge, its abutment teeth are only on one side of the gap. It can be employed when another prosthetic restoration covers the adjacent teeth on one side of the gap or when there are no teeth on that side of the gap.

Similar to conventional bridges, the abutment tooth’s enamel is removed in order to maintain stability.

Bridge in Maryland with bonds

A Maryland bonded bridge utilizes two nearby healthy teeth on either side of the gap, just like a regular bridge. However, this kind of bridge makes use of a metal or porcelain framework that is attached to the backs of the abutment teeth in place of dental crowns.

Due to the Maryland dental bridge’s lack of necessity for crown placement on the surrounding teeth, it is thought to be a more conservative option than standard bridges.

Implant-Supported Bridge

Rather than relying on frameworks or crowns, an implant-supported bridge is anchored to the jaw by dental implants. One implant is placed in your jawbone surgically for each missing tooth as part of the operation. The bridge is fixed in place by these implants. 

If one implant cannot be placed for every lost tooth, a pontic can be placed between two implant-supported crowns.