Facts about Dental Bridges

Functions of dental bridges:

- restoration of missing teeth, filling gaps in the dental arch

- restoring chewing abilities

- preventing adjacent teeth from shifting 

- restoring the correct articulation,

- aesthetics

Contraindications:

- sick pillar tooth or mucous membrane

- alveolus bone defects,

- lack of the ending pillar tooth when a few gaps are to be filled

Construction:

pillar - a tooth, which provides the anchor (there could be several such teeth)

anchor - mounted on a pillar

bridge span - located between two anchors

During chewing the pressure forces act only on the pillar teeth, the bone is unloaded.

Stages of the bridge placement:

- examination of the patient, treatment of any sick teeth

- preparation of the pillars

- taking impressions

- preapring of models 

- performance of the metal structure

- placing the structure in the patient's mouth and any adjustments

- coating the structure with ceramics or plastics

- placing the bridge in the patient's mouth for a few days as a trial period

- cementation of the bridge

Division of dental bridges according to the fastening:

- fixed - are cemented on the pillars, can not be removed for cleaning, require very careful oral hygiene

- moving/movable - with the possibility of their removal, can be easily and thoroughly cleaned; consist of cemented on the tooth and detachable parts

- conditionally movable bridges - removed by a doctor

- unconditionally movable bridges - removable by the patient