Dental Bridge
What are Dental Bridges?
A dental bridge is a commonly used prosthesis to restore a missing tooth or hide an unsightly space. Aside from being cosmetic, it also restores function by adding an extra tooth into the arch for the patient to bite on. A bridge requires the 2 teeth adjacent to the empty space to be filed down to make room for a crown. Connecting the two crowns will be a third crown that replaces the empty space. Thus, to have a bridge you must have 2 healthy teeth to support it. The resultant gap under the bridge is also a place that patients must maintain good oral hygiene thereafter.
Types of Dental Bridges
Much like a crown, a dental bridge can be categorized according to the type of material used. Thus, we have metallic and non-metallic types. Usually, we tend to use non-metallic crowns because they have better aesthetics, they are more translucent and have better biocompatibility. This means patients will not experience any metal reactions.
Dental Bridging Procedure in Singapore
- Dental bridge treatments happen over 2 visits.
- At the first visit a mold is taken of the tooth and local anesthetic administered so that you are comfortable.
- The tooth is then prepared in line with the material requirements.
- Next, a mold is then taken of the prepared tooth and a temporary crown fabricated and placed over the prepared tooth.
- The temporary crown prevents food from irritating the surrounding gum. It also helps stop the drift of adjacent teeth and helps prevent damage to the tooth in between visits.
- During your next visit, the temporary crown is removed, cleansed and the porcelain brown is finally cemented on top.