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Dental Bridge

What is a dental bridge?
A dental bridge is used by dentists to fill in the gap between a missing tooth or missing teeth. The bridge attaches to a natural tooth, crown or implant on either side of the missing teeth, and bridges over the gap between the tooth using an artificial ceramic or porcelain tooth fused to a metal support.
There are three main types of dental bridge:
Regular Fixed Bridge
This bridge is a ceramic bridge with a metal band that is supported at each end by crowns or dental implants. The two crowns holding it in place are attached onto your teeth at each side of the false tooth. As the name implies, fixed bridges are fixed in place, and are not designed to be removed like dentures.
Cantilever Bridge
Cantilever bridges are used when there are teeth on only one side, where less pressure is applied. They are generally used at the front of the mouth, where less stress is placed on the teeth. Two crowns fused to the replacement tooth are used to fix the bridge to the adjacent natural teeth.
Bonded Bridge
This type of dental bridge is made up of plastic teeth and gums supported by a metal framework. The bonded dental bridge is generally lower in cost than other types of bridges and is the most simple to apply.
Dental Bridge procedure
The dentist will begin first to determine if you a good candidate for a dental bridge. If the support teeth are decayed or badly broken down, your dentist may have to build them back up before they can be used as support teeth for a bridge. Your dentists will start the dental bridge work by filing down the adjacent teeth to accommodate the crowns. Then, the dentist will take impressions of the teeth, which will be used to create the dental crowns.
Once the crowns are finished (crowns can be all-ceramic or made of metal or porcelain fused to metal), the false tooth (or teeth) will be bonded to them. When the dental bridge is ready, a return visit to the dentist will be necessary to place it on the teeth. During your final visit, the dentist securely cements the crowns over the surrounding teeth to complete your smile with the dental bridge. With proper care, dental bridges will last five to seven years and, in some cases, longer.
The Cost of Dental Bridges
Dental bridges vary widely in price according to the type of bridge, the underlying condition on the teeth and the type of bonding and quality of materials used.