The dental bridge method, which is used to complete missing teeth, is a long-standing procedure in oral and dental health. Over time, it has begun to be applied in different ways. It can be preferred in places where implant treatment is not possible or in different indications.
What is Dental Bridge?
The dental bridge is placed between two teeth, located on the right and left of the tooth, in order to close the tooth gap that has developed due to losses. In this process, the other two teeth are reduced and the old gap is closed with a dental bridge.
Bridge treatment is one of the traditional treatment methods that has been used for a long time in the loss of teeth. Tooth loss can cause the following problems over time:
- Deterioration of facial and chin anatomy,
- Resorption of the jawbone,
- Speech disorder.
Therefore, the cavities formed due to tooth loss should be filled as soon as possible.
How Is Dental Bridge Made?
Dental bridge application is carried out by filling the gaps created by the lost teeth by taking support from the healthy teeth. It can be applied for one or more tooth cavities according to the applied method. The important point in the application of bridge teeth is that there are healthy adjacent teeth that support the left and right sides.
During the first examination with the dentist, the type of bridge tooth is decided according to the missing tooth. After deciding on the type of dental bridge, the left and right teeth, which will provide support, are filed and reduced a little. The purpose of this procedure is to provide sufficient space for the prepared new tooth.
After the teeth on the sides are filed, measurements are taken for the dental bridge to be prepared. With the filing of the supporting teeth, the sensitive tooth layer called dentin is exposed. Until the permanent bridge treatment is applied, a temporary bridge is placed in order to prevent the cold / hot sensitivity of the teeth. In this way, the dental treatment process continues comfortably.
The bridge teeth, which are measured, are prepared in about 3 to 10 days. A rehearsal is made with the prepared artificial tooth. Both functional and aesthetic properties of bridge teeth such as compatibility with other teeth in the mouth, size, color similarity and closure of the teeth are checked. If any problem is detected, the problem is quickly resolved by the physicians and the dental bridge is attached.
What Are the Types of Dental Bridge?
Types of dental bridges are as follows:
Traditional Bridge
In traditional bridge treatment, there are crowns covering the teeth on both sides of the missing tooth. In addition, there is a body tooth in place of the missing tooth between these two teeth. The body tooth, which is replaced by the missing tooth, is shaped according to the missing tooth and attached to the crowns at both ends of the bridge.
Cantilever and Implant Supported Bridge
This treatment is also known as balcony bridge. This treatment method is applied in cases where there is a healthy adjacent tooth on only one side of the missing tooth. The prepared false tooth is attached to the adjacent tooth, which is slightly abraded.
Implant-supported treatment is applied in cases where there are no adjacent teeth to support the missing tooth in the jaw. In this method, an implant is applied to the missing adjacent tooth, and the implant fulfills the task of establishing a bridge of the neighboring tooth. In implant-supported dental bridge treatment, implants are not made to replace every missing tooth. Therefore, a small number of implants are made instead of many missing teeth.
Maryland Bonded Bridge
Maryland bridge treatment is used especially in cases where the front teeth are missing. In this treatment, a false tooth is prepared to replace the missing tooth. The false tooth is attached to the posterior surface of the adjacent teeth on both sides. Then, the back surfaces of the neighboring teeth are roughened and finally the prepared false tooth is adhered to the adjacent teeth.
