Individuals who are missing a tooth, or a couple of teeth, have a variety of options available to them for closing these gaps, one of which is a fixed dental bridge. An experienced dentist at the Smile Center in Campbellsville, Kentucky, can use a dental bridge to close the gaps that a missing tooth or missing teeth has left behind.
What is the False Tooth in a Bridge Made of?
A bridge can consist of a single false tooth or two false teeth. Each of these false teeth is referred to as a ‘pontic.’ Pontics are created using several kinds of materials, including porcelain, gold and alloys, or a mixture of these; however, for the most part, pontics are made from porcelain. By choosing porcelain, the dentists at the Smile Center in Campbellsville, Kentucky, can easily blend the shade of the pontics in the bridge with the color of the patient’s natural teeth; thus, making the bridge nearly invisible once it is in place.
How Does a Fixed Bridge Stay in Place?
A bridge is held in place by the teeth on either side of it: These anchor teeth are referred to as abutment teeth. The abutment teeth can be natural teeth or dental implants.
Since bridges are semi-permanent and attached to existing dental implants or natural teeth, they are also called fixed partial dentures. ‘Fixed’ means that the bridge remains in place unless it is removed by the dentist or some other dental professional. There are a few different kinds of fixed bridges, including cantilever bridges, conventional fixed bridges and resin-bonded bridges. There are also implant bridges. An implant bridge is attached below the gingival tissue, or the jawbone.
A Fixed Bridge Restores the Natural Contour of the Teeth
Since each bridge is custom-made, these appliances can reestablish the natural contour of the patient’s teeth, which ensures the bite relationship between the upper and lower teeth is restored.