An Overview of Dental Bridges

Dentists care for teeth and restore those that are damaged or missing. One method of restoring missing teeth is with dental bridges. Your dentist can inform you whether you are a candidate for this type of treatment. If so, you will receive specific instructions about how to care for your bridge properly.

How does a dental bridge function?

A dental bridge is a fixed restoration that is cemented or bonded permanently in the mouth. Only a dental professional should remove it. A bridge can replace up to four missing teeth as long as they were all in a row. The gap is closed by a prosthesis shaped to resemble the missing tooth or teeth.

Bridges are anchored in the mouth by a crown on one or two teeth or implants placed directly in the jawbone. A traditional bridge requires two healthy teeth on either side of the gap to serve as abutments. A crown on either side of the gap fits over one of the abutment teeth and is cemented in place. The bridge is supported between the two crowns.

If a traditional bridge is not possible or not desired, there are other variations that may be more suitable. If you wish minimal alteration of the abutment teeth, a Maryland bridge is supported by metal wings bonded in place on either side, removing the need for crowns. If there is only one abutment tooth available, it may be possible to place a cantilever bridge requiring only one crown.

An implant-supported bridge does not require any crowns or alteration of the other teeth. It is a good option when you do not want changes to any other tooth, or abutment teeth are either unavailable or too unhealthy to support the bridge.

How do you care for a dental bridge?

In some respects, caring for a dental bridge is similar to caring for regular teeth. For example, brushing and flossing are still necessary steps. However, you may have to learn new techniques for carrying out these daily oral hygiene tasks.

The requirement to brush twice a day and floss at least once daily continues with a bridge. However, because a bridge is all one piece, you cannot floss between the prostheses and the crowns. Instead, you have to floss around the bridge.

With a dental bridge, food particles can get caught under the prosthesis. You have to clean underneath the bridge to remove these so they do not promote decay of your natural teeth. There are several methods for cleaning under a bridge:

• Floss threaders bring the floss underneath the bridge to clean that space.
• Dental picks, which look like toothpicks with rubberized tips, slide underneath the bridge to clean it.
• Interproximal brushes with Christmas tree-shaped heads made of tiny bristles slide under bridges for cleaning, similar to dental picks.