Which Dental Bridge Is Right for Me? | Dentist, Wichita, Kansas

While there are multiple different dental bridge options to discuss with your dentist when pursuing a tooth replacement solution, all dental bridges offer the same primary benefits in addition to restoring your beautiful, natural-looking smile. Some additional benefits of dental bridges include:

• Restoring your ability to chew properly.
• Correcting your speech and pronunciation.
• Distributing the forces in your bite properly.
• Preventing remaining teeth from moving.
• Maintaining your face shape.

A traditional bridge is the most popular type of dental bridge among patients and can be used when you have natural teeth on both sides of the gap created by your missing tooth. The false tooth (pontic) is secured and held in place by two dental crowns cemented onto each of the abutment teeth. These traditional bridges are typically made of porcelain fused to either metal or ceramics and remain a viable option if you have the majority of your natural teeth and are searching for a natural-looking tooth replacement solution!

A cantilever bridge is an alternative to a traditional bridge and is used when a patient has only natural adjacent teeth on one side of the missing tooth or missing teeth gap. In this case, the dentist will secure the pontic in place with a dental crown cemented to the one adjacent tooth, as opposed to two adjacent teeth. This type of bridge is less common and not recommended as a solution for missing teeth in the back of the mouth because it can cause excessive force to be shifted to other teeth, resulting in additional tooth damage.

A Maryland bridge, also referred to as a resin-bonded bridge, is very similar to a traditional bridge as it employs two natural abutment teeth, one on each side of the missing tooth gap. While a traditional bridge involves dental crowns added to each of the abutment teeth, a Maryland bridge uses metal or porcelain framework bonded to the backs of the abutment teeth. This bridge can only be used on patients with natural teeth on each side of the missing tooth gap.

Implant-supported bridges differ from other dental bridges as dental implants must be surgically placed for every missing tooth to hold the bridge in position. If you are unable to get an individual dental implant for each missing tooth, you may be able to have a bridge with a pontic suspended between two implant-supported crowns, but it is best to consult with your dentist to discuss all of your options.

Implant-supported bridges are considered the strongest and most durable option for a tooth replacement and commonly require two surgeries, one to imbed the implants into the jawbone and a second surgery to place the bridge. While this option is the strongest and most stable, it also requires a more extensive waiting period and may take multiple months for the process to be completely finished. If you are looking for an immediate fix, a traditional or Maryland bridge may be the best option for you!