Q: What is a bridge?
A dental bridge is a false tooth, known as a pontic, which is usually fused between two porcelain crowns to fill in the area left by a missing tooth. The two crowns holding it in place that are attached onto your teeth on each side of the false tooth. This is known as a fixed bridge. This cosmetic is used to replace one or more missing teeth. Fixed bridges cannot be taken out of your mouth as you might do with removable partial dentures. Bridges can reduce your risk of gum disease, help correct some bite issues and even improve your speech. Bridges require your commitment to serious oral hygiene, but can last as many ten years or more.

Q: Is it possible to have a porcelain bridge affixed to your teeth without having any clasps or metal appearing?
Yes. If you are an appropriate candidate, a porcelain bridge can look as natural as (or in many cases better than) your own teeth, in color and shape, in proportion and alignment, with no clasps or metal appearance. Some bridges are designed with a metal support structure or a metal lining, covered with porcelain (porcelain-fused-to-metal or PFM). At one point in time, most restorations were made this way. When placed, they usually can often look opaque or "flat" because they do not let light pass through like a natural tooth. There can also be a tell-tail dark band showing through the teeth or showing next to the gum-line that is undesirable (often the darkness invades the adjacent gum tissue as an adverse reaction). All-porcelain bridge restorations are what we chose to use unless there is a compelling reason otherwise. Again, when properly seated, they are virtually as strong or stronger than their metal predecessor. And the appearance can be identical to a natural tooth, allowing light to pass through (referred to as translucency).

Q: Who is a candidate for a bridge?
If you have one or more missing teeth and have good oral hygiene practices, you should discuss this procedure with your cosmetic dentist. If spaces are left unfilled, they may cause the surrounding teeth to drift out of position. Additionally, spaces from missing teeth can cause your other teeth and your gums to become far more susceptible to tooth decay and gum disease.