Getting a Dental Bridge
A Maryland bridge requires fewer appointments than the other types because the abutment teeth don’t need to be prepared. For the other three types, you’ll have at least two procedures performed,4 and the process can be a lengthy one.
Regardless of your bridge type, expect your dentist to take impressions or a digital scan of your teeth that the lab will use to shape the components of the bridge.
Traditional or Cantilever Bridge
The first step in getting a traditional fixed or cantilever dental bridge involves preparing the abutment tooth/teeth. The dentist will remove some of the enamel and dentin from the abutment teeth to make space for the crowns.
They’ll then place a temporary bridge over those teeth to protect them until the bridge is placed.
During a later appointment, the dentist will:
- Remove the temporary crowns
- Check the permanent crowns and bridge for a proper fit
- Cement the bridge in place
Sometimes the bridge is permanently cemented during this procedure. Other times, the dentist may opt for temporary cement so you can take time to be sure it fits properly before it’s made permanent.
Tooth Sensitivity After Crown: Causes and Remedies
Maryland Bridge
For a Maryland bridge, all that needs to happen to your abutment teeth is a little etching on the back side, which helps the wings bond to it.
Once proper fit is tested, the dentist:
- Places the bridge
- Bonds the metal wings to the abutment teeth with a strong resin
- Cures the resin
Implant-Supported Bridge
An implant-supported bridge requires surgery to place the implants in your jawbone followed by time for you to heal. Healing time varies greatly depending on where in your mouth the implants are and whether your jawbone needs to be built up in order to support the implants.
You may have a temporary bridge to wear between procedures.
Then you’ll have another procedure for the dentist to place the permanent bridge over the implants. This involves small incisions in the gums, so healing time is greater than with other types of bridges.