Dental bridges are a convenient way to restore your smile when you have one or more missing teeth. The bridge gets its name because it literally “bridges the gap” between the remaining teeth.
The different types of dental bridges
There are four main types of dental bridges: traditional, Cantilever, Maryland, and implant-supported.
A traditional bridge is anchored on two or more anchoring teeth (abutments) and a false tooth (pontic) in between. Abutments are teeth that are shaved down for ease of connecting to the crowns that anchor the bridge.
Cantilever bridges use a single anchoring tooth and are often used to replace missing front teeth.
Maryland bridges are a less invasive type of bridge. Rather than shaving down the anchoring teeth, the false tooth (pontic) that replaces the missing tooth has a wing attached the back of the tooth. The wing extends to attach to the back of the anchoring teeth.
Implant-supported bridges are perhaps the most invasive type of bridge. They are used when there are multiple missing teeth and the patient requires two dental implants.
Porcelain Fixed Bridges at Flawless Dental
Traditional bridges are the most popular with patients because they closely replicate the look and feel of natural teeth. To learn about the procedure we use at Flawless Dental, be sure to visit our porcelain fixed bridges page.
Are you interested in learning more about porcelain fixed bridges, give us a call at (617) 332-2872 or fill out our booking form.