The 411 on Bridges

Dental bridges are designed to fill in one or more gaps in your teeth. A large percentage of people ages 20 to 65 have lost one or more of their permanent teeth or have three that will eventually fall out due to disease. 

At the office of Maplewood Dental Group, we pride ourselves on our impeccable skills and cutting-edge expertise. And because of our high standards, you can feel confident that our dentist and staff work with top-rated equipment that’s designed for excellence and speed. We also love building strong and longtime relationships with our patients. 

Here’s an overview of the five types of bridges. 

• Traditional bridges are the most prevalent and are used when natural teeth or implants are used as anchors on both ends of the empty space. They’re good for the long haul and excellent for chewing because the majority of your bite force is absorbed by the teeth on both ends.
• The cantilever is suitable when there’s only one anchor tooth. However, because molars take a lot of bite force, its design doesn’t favor the back of the mouth. 
• Maryland bridges are also called resin bonded bridges. It’s made up of a plastic tooth with a metal frame. Its metal attachment devices on either end are bonded to the two anchor teeth. Marylands are mainly for front teeth. 
• A composite (aka Ribbond or bonded composite) fits the bill for persons with one or two missing teeth who want an easy and affordable solution. A composite bonding substance is put right into the missing space, and the whole thing can be created and positioned in just one visit. Composites are considered temporary, however, and can be for those with periodontal disease who are staving off having their compromised teeth pulled. 
• The implant-supported bridge doesn’t involve damaging the bordering natural teeth. And because these bridges are held in place by implants, there’s no need to support them by trimming crowns or with tooth stubs that have bulky substructures. 

The office of Maplewood Dental Group is committed to the oral health of all of our patients. We’ve earned the trust of all of our patients and look forward to earning yours. For more information about our practice and the many services we provide, please don't hesitate to call us today.