Dental bridges - a timeless classic
Bridge prostheses date back to the pre-implant era. In those not-so-distant times, bridges were virtually the only option for restoring one or more lost teeth. Now the situation has changed, and implants have largely replaced other prosthetic methods. Despite this, bridge prostheses — or, as they are also called, dental bridges — still have a place. Not only that, but there are situations when they are even preferable to implants.
This type of prosthesis is a structure consisting of three or more crowns made on a single frame. The two outer crowns are always placed on the supporting teeth, while the middle ones replace the lost teeth.
Naturally, in order to install a bridge, the supporting teeth must first be ground down, otherwise the crowns will simply not fit on them. That is why at Club 32, a family dental clinic in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv, we consider it unacceptable to install a bridge prosthesis on completely healthy supporting teeth. In such situations, our orthopedists strongly recommend implants to patients. If the teeth adjacent to the "hole" are not in the best condition, then installing a dental bridge is a perfectly acceptable option with a more attractive price compared to implants. In addition, this procedure is much faster and quite predictable.
Indications for installing a bridge prosthesis
The main indication for installing a dental prosthesis is the absence of one or more consecutive teeth.
Advantages and disadvantages of installing bridge prostheses
Advantages
This is especially relevant for patients with a limited budget or when several teeth need to be restored at once. Also, no surgical intervention is required, which reduces the overall cost of treatment. In some cases, this is the best way to restore chewing function without significant financial costs.
Bridge prostheses have been used in dentistry for many years, and the technology for their manufacture has been refined to the smallest detail. The structures are made individually, taking into account the anatomical features of the patient. If the care recommendations are followed, the prosthesis can be used for many years.
- Ability to quickly restore the dentition
Unlike implants, which require several months to heal, a bridge prosthesis can be installed in just 1-2 weeks. This is especially convenient for patients who want to restore the aesthetics and functionality of their teeth as quickly as possible.
Disadvantages
- Overloading of the supporting teeth
Now they will have to work both for themselves and "for the other guy," that is, for the missing tooth (teeth). And that would be fine, but each of the 32 teeth has a natural limit to the load it can bear. And if you exceed it by more than one and a half times, tooth breakage is almost guaranteed. Therefore, installing long bridges is a rather risky decision. In addition, even if the supporting teeth can handle the load, there is still a risk of them becoming diseased. In this case, the entire structure will have to be removed and redone.
Patients with such prostheses must use an irrigator and special dental floss with a stiff tip ("superfloss"). And the cleaning procedure itself requires much more attention, because if food gets under the crown of the supporting tooth, root caries is highly likely to develop, which will require the prosthesis to be redone.
Important!!!
Superfloss is not better than regular floss. It is simply a special type of dental floss, and it is only needed by patients with specific indications.
How a bridge prosthesis is made
Usually, the process of making a dental bridge takes a couple of weeks and three visits to our clinic. During the first visit, we grind the supporting teeth and take impressions. The next time, about 10 days later, the patient tries on the finished prosthesis. If everything fits, we cement the prosthesis in place and the story ends. If there are any comments regarding comfort, we correct any imperfections directly in the mouth and send the product to the laboratory for re-coating. In this case, the final installation of the prosthesis is carried out during the third visit.
Types of bridge prosthetics by material type
We can offer patients a fairly wide range of materials for dental bridges:
- Metal-ceramic is the traditional option: a metal frame is cast in the laboratory and covered with ceramic
- Laser-sintered metal-ceramic is a progressive method of working with metal. When choosing this option, it is possible to completely eliminate all the flaws of traditional casting and obtain a structure that perfectly matches the patient's impressions
- Zirconium is a special metal that is invisible to the body and has high plasticity. Zirconium bridges are modeled on a computer, after which a machine automatically manufactures the prosthesis. In the case of prosthetics for teeth that are invisible when smiling, such a bridge does not need to be covered with ceramics, but can simply be painted. If we are talking about front teeth, then the zirconium base is covered with ceramics
Options for installing bridge prostheses
Cantilever prosthesis
Patients have never liked wearing removable prostheses, so before the advent of implants, doctors resorted to all sorts of tricks. One of them was the cantilever prosthesis. This is a design in which the crown replacing the lost tooth is soldered to one of the adjacent teeth and hangs over the gum, as it were. Despite the fact that implant prosthetics have long become commonplace, some clinics still offer services of this kind. I would like to emphasize that at Club 32, we are categorically opposed to such solutions, as this type of prosthesis places excessive stress on the supporting tooth, which inevitably leads to its dislocation and, in the near future, breakage.
Bridge prosthesis on inlays
This is a special type of bridge construction in which a large filling-like inlay is used as a support instead of a crown. At our clinic, we have refused to install such prostheses, as these inlays often simply split the supporting teeth.
Maryland bridges
A temporary version of a dental bridge that mainly serves an aesthetic function. When it is installed, a temporary prosthesis made of composite material is glued to the supporting teeth using fiberglass. This type of structure usually lasts no more than a year and is suitable, for example, for covering a gap in the dentition while an implant is healing.
Bridge prostheses on implants
These are ideal for situations where, for example, three consecutive teeth need to be restored. In this case, we recommend placing implants at the edges of the gap in the dental arch and using them as supports for a structure consisting of three crowns.
Service life of a bridge prosthesis
Zirconium prostheses are the most durable, since the ceramic is not attached to them in the same way as to analogues made of other metals. If a zirconium bridge is made without a ceramic coating, it has no service life at all.
Other types of materials are guaranteed to work well for 5 years. However, there are cases when structures of this kind serve perfectly well for 15-20 years.
The orthopedists at Club 32 Clinic have many successful cases of manufacturing and installing such prostheses for patients of all ages in their portfolio.
We take an individual approach to prosthetics—we develop a unique treatment plan for each patient, allowing us to manufacture and install a bridge prosthesis that takes into account their specific characteristics and wishes at an affordable price. In addition, you can pay for prosthetics in installments without any extra charges.
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