Everyone’s heard of dental crowns and dentures before. Maybe you’re even familiar with dental implants. But one of the less common restorative dental procedures is the dental bridge.

So what is a dental bridge?

Dental bridges do just what their name implies—they “bridge” gaps between teeth with false teeth called ‘pontics.’ The pontics are anchored to the teeth either through resin bonding or with crowns.

The most common type of dental bridge is a fixed bridge. Fixed bridges have a pontic in the center anchored between two crowns on the neighboring teeth. They are permanent fixtures in the mouth and good for teeth that experience a lot of stress, such as molars.

Another type of dental bridge is the resin bonded bridge. In this case the false tooth is attached to the adjacent teeth using resin bonding and metal attachments, rather than crowns. Resin bonded bridges are typically used for front teeth only because they are not as durable.

The last type of dental bridge is a cantilever bridge. These bridges are used when the tooth on one side of the gap is not strong enough to support a crown. The healthier side of the gap is outfitted with a crown, and the pontic is attached only to that side. In certain scenarios two crowns may be used if just one crown will not be strong enough.

If you think you may be a candidate for dental bridges, contact Greenspoint Dental today to set up a consultation with Dr. Bossé.