Bridges

A bridge is a special kind of denture where the artificial tooth or teeth is fixed to natural teeth next to it. The two main different kinds of bridges are conventional bridges and resin-bonded bridges. For a conventional bridge, the neighbouring teeth are trimmed to support the bridge. As for the resin-bonded bridge, the artificial tooth/teeth are bonded to the neighbouring teeth by means of metal retainers known as “wings”.

Though the tooth structure has to be trimmed off, the advantage of the conventional bridge over the resin-bonded bridge is that it is stronger and can look better. One of the main causes of failure of a bridge is decay of the tooth/teeth supporting the bridge. Also, as the tooth is trimmed nearer to the nerve, there is always a chance that the tooth will “die off” eventually, leading to toothache and infection.

Illustration of conventional vs resin-bonded bridge

A Resin Bonded Bridge used to restore missing teeth	back view of the resin bonded bridge

Conventional Bridge has to trim teeth smaller	Conventional Bridge cemented

Full Ceramic Crowns and Bridges	Cemented Full Ceramic Crowns and Bridges

Though the tooth structure has to be trimmed off, the advantage of the conventional bridge over the resin-bonded bridge is that it is stronger and can look better. One of the main causes of failure of a bridge is decay of the tooth/teeth supporting the bridge. Also, as the tooth is trimmed nearer to the nerve, there is always a chance that the tooth will “die off” eventually, leading to toothache and infection.