Close Menu

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Tooth Pulp: Function and Infection

    October 6, 2023

    6 Essential Vitamins for Teeth

    October 1, 2023

    12 Best Practices for Healthy Teeth

    September 26, 2023
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    kidodentkidodent
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Get In Touch
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    SUBSCRIBE
    • Home
    • Oral & Dental Health
      • Oral & Dental Conditions
      • Dental Health Tips
    • Cosmetic
    • Pediatric Dentistry
    • Restorative Dentistry
    • Oral Conditions
      • Bridges and Dentures
      • Implant
      • Dental Restorations
    • Orthodontic
    kidodentkidodent
    Home » Blog » Dental Bridge: Types, Pros and Cons, Cost and Procedure
    Bridges and Dentures

    Dental Bridge: Types, Pros and Cons, Cost and Procedure

    kidodentBy kidodentSeptember 22, 2021Updated:December 10, 20232 Comments7 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Reddit WhatsApp Email
    dental bridge
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest WhatsApp Email

    If you have one or multiple missing teeth, you may have problems when eating or speaking. Missing teeth can also affect your smile appearance, making you feel self-conscious about it. But don’t worry. There are various ways to have your confident smile. Dental bridges are one of the most popular options you can have. This article will go over the different types of dental bridges and help you learn about this teeth replacement including the benefits, cost, and procedure.

    What is a dental bridge?

    A dental bridge is a fixed restoration that fills the empty spaces of your missing teeth with custom-made false teeth. Similar to its name, a dental bridge helps bridge between healthy teeth, where there is tooth or teeth that are missing. Dentists use your natural teeth (abutment teeth) next to the missing area to anchor the false teeth and hold them in place in between.

    If your teeth are worn down and there are not enough natural teeth to anchor your dental bridge, your dentist can use implant-supported bridges. Any dental bridge consists of:

    • Pontic: It is the false tooth (artificial tooth) that is seated on your missing tooth. Depending on the number of missing teeth, dentist will fix several pontics in place.
    • Abutment tooth: Abutment is your natural teeth around the missing tooth. These natural teeth will anchor the pontic and hold it. For that, your dentist prepares them and makes a strong crown on these natural teeth to bear the pressures and loads of the pontic.

    What is dental bridge made of?

    You will be happy to know that your bridge is made from biocompatible and cosmetically beautiful materials, which do not have any risks for your oral and dental health. Pontics can be made from all-metal, all-ceramic or metal-ceramic depending on where it should seat and tolerate pressures and load. You can choose the most beautiful materials like porcelain to mask or veneer the outer surface and metal for inner cores for your artificial teeth.

    But ceramics like porcelain, new composite materials and zirconia are all beautiful and strong materials that can be used for your dental bridge whether for artificial teeth or for crowns in the neighboring teeth used as anchors. Even there are some people that beauty is not important for their missing back teeth and will go for the all-metal false teeth.

    Types of dental bridge

    Types of dental bridge

    • Traditional tooth-supported bridge: Traditional bridges are the most common bridge type. They use your natural teeth as abutments for anchoring the artificial tooth
    • Cantilever fixed bridge: It is similar to a traditional bridge except for one thing. You only need one abutment tooth at one end of the bridgework. Dentists generally use this type of bridge to replace one tooth.
    • Implant-supported bridge: If your natural teeth are not healthy enough to hold a bridge in place or if there is a long span of missing teeth (for example missing 3 to 6 teeth), dental bridges that are supported by implants are great options to choose. 
    • Maryland dental bridge (resin bonded bridge): Maryland bridge is the least invasive and use bonding techniques to be firm in its place. It is a great choice for younger people. This type of bridge is mainly used when too much dental work on abutment teeth is high risk as in children.

    Pros and cons of dental bridge

    Pros

    • Restores your smile and improves your look
    • Improves your speaking and chewing
    • Increases your self-esteem and self-confidence. You will no longer hide your smile or cover your gaps with lips because of some lost teeth
    • Bridges prevent other teeth to take the space of the missing area, which may cause later treatments like implant to get difficult

    Cons

    • Your healthy teeth next to the missing area should be prepared for bridge placement, which most people may find it difficult to accept
    • Pressures and loads overtime may cause problems for abutment teeth (neighboring teeth) that are used as anchor for bridge retention
    • Plaque and tartar can build up around your bridge, which requires regular oral hygiene attention and cleaning
    • Needs regular visits if repairing or refitting is necessary or if bridges break    

    The procedure to place your dental bridge

    You will need 2 appointments to have your bridge prepared and placed on your teeth. Early before starting your bridge-making process, your mouth is checked for any signs of tooth decay, crooked teeth, gum and jaw conditions to give you a better and picture perfect treatment plan. If there is no need for other dental treatments, you will head on to get your bridges.

    Dental bridge procedure steps:

    • Your dentist prepares the neighboring teeth(abutment teeth) to make enough space for your bridge (first appointment)
    • Then your dentist takes the impression of the prepared teeth and the missing teeth area to get the molds (first appointment). Dentists can use computer assisted design/manufacturing (CAD,CAM) to design and make the dental bridges
    • Impressions are sent to the lab and you will be wearing temporary bridges to prevent any damages to your teeth while your dental bridge is being prepared
    • You will visit the dentist for the placement and cementing your bridge in place (second appointment)
    • Your dentist may ask you to visit within the following weeks to check that your bridge is fit in place

    Dental bridge lifespan

    A dental bridge can last 5 to 10 years and if you care more and maintain a healthy lifestyle by following regular oral hygiene practices, you can still have your bridge up to 20 years. 

    Dental Bridge FAQs

    How much does a bridge usually cost?

    The cost of dental bridge can range from $1500 to $5000. But depending on the number of missing teeth, which requires more false teeth to be made and also the need for implants because of weak natural teeth for your bridge, prices can go up from $8000 to $14000.

    How many teeth can be replaced with a bridge?

    Dental bridges can support 1 to 4 teeth in a row in each span in your dental arch. But normally dentist use bridges for 1 to 2 teeth and dentist believe that replacing more than 2 teeth is a high risk. For avoiding waste of time and money and having a successful treatment, it would be better to have various treatments for more than 2 missing teeth including bridge and implant combinations or even getting dentures for larger spans.

    Dental bridges VS implant: which one is best?

    Dental bridge and implant are two treatments for filling the gaps of missing teeth in your mouth. You will sometimes be confused whether to choose implant or bridge to replace the empty space of your lost teeth. Dental implant is the best and most durable, natural-looking replacement for missing teeth. But there are some conditions that you may not be able to get implant and you have no option except for bridges.

    • For young people because of immature jaws and growth changes
    • People with low density jaw bone, which makes a dental implant a risk
    • Having a low quality jaw bone
    • As temporary correction for your smile until later that you are eligible for dental implant
    • Personal interest. For people who do not want dental implant

    Dental bridge procedure

    How do I care for my dental bridge?

    Do not ever skip cleaning and oral hygiene practices when you get dental bridges. You are more likely helping bacteria grow on or around your bridge if you don’t take care for routine oral and dental cleanings. Do these useful caring tips for your bridge:

    • Brush twice a day and floss between your teeth to get rid of food debris and prevent plaque and tartar from building up
    • Use mouthwashes and mouthrinses for mouth cleaning and to prevent foods and drinks from staining your bridge and other teeth
    • Have a balanced eating habit and avoid high-sugary foods and drinks
    • Do not bite on harsh and rough foods and fruits, and cut them in pieces before eating in order to prevent damages to your bridge
    • Use mouthguard when you play sports  
    procedures
    kidodent
    • Website

    Related Posts

    Root Canal on Front Tooth: Procedure, Benefits, and More

    September 16, 2023

    Lingual Braces: Pros and Cons, and Procedure

    May 4, 2023

    Composite Bonding: Pros and Cons, Procedure, and Cost

    January 29, 2023

    2 Comments

    1. Edgar Starwalker on December 2, 2021 9:19 am

      Is it possible to plate or replace an existing dental bridge with gold?
      Per the title, is it possible to either replace a (cantilever type) dental bridge with a gold false tooth, or plate an existing bridge tooth with gold? For cosmetic reasons. Or would a wholesale replacement of the bridge itself with gold be required? Any advice on whether this is straightforward or not?

      Reply
      • Kidodent on December 2, 2021 9:24 am

        Once the bridge is cemented in your mouth, that’s that. If you want to replace it, it has to be cut off, which destroys it, and a new one replaced.

        Reply
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Don't Miss
    oral and dental conditions

    Tooth Pulp: Function and Infection

    By kidodentOctober 6, 20230

    To the center of each tooth, there is a soft and vital part which is…

    6 Essential Vitamins for Teeth

    October 1, 2023

    12 Best Practices for Healthy Teeth

    September 26, 2023

    Myths About Root Canal Treatment

    September 21, 2023
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Our Picks

    Tooth Pulp: Function and Infection

    October 6, 2023

    6 Essential Vitamins for Teeth

    October 1, 2023

    12 Best Practices for Healthy Teeth

    September 26, 2023

    Myths About Root Canal Treatment

    September 21, 2023

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from SmartMag about art & design.

    Demo
    About Us
    About Us

    Your source for the lifestyle news. This demo is crafted specifically to exhibit the use of the theme as a lifestyle site. Visit our main page for more demos.

    We're accepting new partnerships right now.

    Email Us: info@example.com
    Contact: +1-320-0123-451

    Our Picks

    6 Essential Vitamins for Teeth

    October 1, 2023

    Myths About Root Canal Treatment

    September 21, 2023

    Types of Teeth: Functions, Names, and More

    September 11, 2023
    New Comments
    • Alice Carroll on Root Canal: Procedure, Cost, and Aftercare
    • jed on Invisalign Clear Aligners: Pros and Cons, Cost and Step-by-Step Process
    • Amy D'Souza on Is It Safe to Use Hydrogen Peroxide to Whiten Teeth?
    • Kidodent on Tooth cavities: what are causes and how to prevent or treat it
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Get In Touch
    © 2025 Kidodent.org.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Go to mobile version