Dental Bridges

A dental bridge is a permanent and realistic-looking way of filling a gap where teeth may be missing within the mouth. It is important that the gap left by the missing teeth is filled, as this can cause problems with the bite and alignment of your remaining teeth.

A bridge contains one or more false teeth. Unlike a denture, it is permanently held in place by the teeth immediately next to it. It is usually made of a precious metal base such as gold, with tooth-coloured porcelain bonded to any visible areas to make it look natural. Alternatively, very strong porcelain bridges are also now available.

Often, the two neighbouring teeth will be required to have crowns fixed onto them in order to strengthen them for the bridge. The two crowns are then joined together by placing the false tooth between them and cementing them in place. This is known as a fixed bridge.

Sometimes adhesive bridges can be constructed. These have a lot less impact on the neighbouring teeth because the latest bonding techniques are used to hold the false tooth in place. Often a temporary bridge is necessary, so that gums can heal if there has been an extraction of a tooth.