Dental Bridges: Types, Uses, Benefits, and Different Parts

Just like you are taking good and proper care of your physical health, it is important to care for your oral health as well. There can be several types of oral conditions that might occur to you, some of which might cause pain and discomfort in your mouth, and in those conditions, you should never neglect the oral problems and get your oral health issues treated by your dentist as soon as you can to prevent the conditions from further worsening. An example of an oral problem is loosening or missing one or more teeth. If you lose a tooth, it is important to cover or bridge it up by using dental bridges.

But what is a dental bridge all about?

A dental bridge is a false dental tool or a pontic that is used to hold a tooth in the proper place and on either side of the gap. Any person can have one or more gap/s in his or her teeth and such a gap can be easily covered with the help of a dental bridge. In many cases, a person might have to remove his or her tooth/teeth, for instance, due to the occurrence of cavities and plaque, and similar conditions that are usually considered as common causes of loss of teeth, and in those cases, you should use a dental bridge to bridge the gap in your teeth. It is a permanent appliance that can be used as a substitute for a loose or missing tooth. Are you someone who is struggling with a missing tooth? Have you lost a tooth and is there a gap in your mouth, especially when you smile? Then you need to use a dental bridge and you have landed on the best possible guide on the dental bridge. In this article, you will get a complete idea of the types, uses, benefits, and other details related to dental bridges. Read this article till the end and get your teeth fixed with dental bridges today. Your dentist will recommend a type of dental bridge based on the type of dental condition you have. In most situations, a dental bridge can have around several pieces that are joined together so that they can fit into the open space where the lost tooth used to be. Dental bridges are used as alternatives to partial dentures.

What are the uses of dental bridges?

If you have lost your teeth, it is important to get them fixed with a dental bridge, otherwise, you might have to face great difficulties in eating, chewing, talking, and doing other activities that require the teeth. Moreover, if you have a gap in your teeth, it will look quite awkward when you open your mouth or when you smile. So, it is better to fill up that gap with a dental bridge. This will not only help you to look good but will also help you to speak better. Apart from that, using a dental bridge to fill in the gap in your mouth can help you to smile more comfortably as well, especially in public. When you have lost a tooth or a few teeth, you might also feel discomfort mostly during biting fruits, nuts, or any food with hard surfaces and that must be stressful for the gums as well. But filling the gap with dental bridges will no longer create such a problem. You might use dental bridges in the situations that are listed below:

• When a tooth or many teeth are falling or becoming loose due to increased amounts of cavities in your mouth or tooth decay due to plaque and bacterial growth in the mouth
• If your dentist finds it impossible to repair your loss of tooth/teeth
• The infection develops inside the teeth and cannot be cured by a root canal or with a dental filling.

What are the parts that make up a dental bridge?

The word ‘bridge’ in the dental language specifically means a type of structure that consists of one or more fake teeth. This type of structure is usually made attached in the place of the loose tooth/teeth with the help of one or more crowns on either side of the gap inside your mouth.

A dental bridge can be made up of a few materials, especially metals such as gold, porcelain, or alloys, which are usually mixtures of different types of metals. But these metals are used in specific cases. For instance, if the front tooth must be replaced, then the most used material would be porcelain because the color of porcelain matches the natural whiteness of your teeth.

Different parts that form dental bridges:

If you have lost or missed a tooth or a few teeth after an injury or because of tooth decay, then your dentist will use a dental bridge to make up that gap and will fill it with a fake tooth. There are different parts portions that compose a dental bridge. Two of them are abutments and pontics.

• Abutments: these are some types of structures that are used as a support in a dental bridge. Abutments usually refer to a tiny connector post that is usually used in dental implants, especially in dental bridges to support the planting of a tooth in the gap.

• Pontics: these are fake or artificial teeth, also known as false teeth, that help to fill in the gap in your mouth by the lost tooth or teeth.

What are the different types of dental bridges?

Dental bridges can be classified into 4 major types, such as-

1. Maryland: A Maryland bridge is a type of dental bridge that employs two natural abutment teeth- one on either side of the gap. A Maryland bridge mostly uses a type of structure made of metal or porcelain, that is used to remain bonded to the backs of the abutment teeth. When you have a natural tooth on each side of the gap of the loose or missing tooth or teeth, then your dentist might suggest using a Maryland bridge.

2. Cantilever: This is another type of dental bridge in which the pontic is held in its place by the support of a dental crown and then it is cemented to only one abutment tooth. In the case of using a cantilever bridge, you should have one natural tooth next to the loose or missing tooth.

3. Traditional: The third type of dental bridge is the traditional dental bridge which mostly consists of a fake tooth or teeth that are supported by dental crowns, cemented to each of the abutment teeth. It is the most used form of dental bridge used by dentists.

4. Implant-supported: This is the fourth type of dental bridge that is used when you need implant-supported crowns or structures to support the gap of your missing tooth or teeth. Here, an implant is surgically placed on every missing tooth and helps to hold the dental bridge in the proper position. This type of dental bridge is considered the strongest possible dental bridge system used by dentists. This type requires two types of surgeries, such as:

• The first will be used to embed implants on the jawbone

• The second one is used to place the bridge

What are the benefits of using dental bridges?

Some of the major benefits of using dental bridges can be listed here as follows:

• Chew and bite your food better
• Giving a natural look to your mouth, particularly when you smile
• Helps you speak normally
• Prevents adjacent teeth to move into the void space where there are no teeth
• Helps maintain normal face structure and prevents bone loss from the jaw

Do you need to get a dental bridge?

Though using a dental bridge to fill up the gap of a loose or missing tooth is of course necessary, you will also have to think that whether you truly need to use a dental bridge. Everyone does not require to use a dental bridge and it is very crucial to discuss with your dentist whether you truly need to use a dental bridge. But how will you know that you need to use a dental bridge? Follow the list of factors given below:

• If you have good oral health and hygiene
• If you have overall good health and if you do not have any serious health problems
• If you are missing one or more permanent teeth
• If you have healthy and strong teeth and bone structures that will help to support the bridge and hold it tightly