Prosthodontics

Dental Bridge:

A dental bridge is a custom-made false tooth or teeth, which are permanently placed between two healthy teeth, filling in the area left by a missing tooth or teeth. The bridge is held in place by porcelain crowns placed on the healthy teeth on each side of space to be filled.

Types of Dental Bridges: There are three main types of bridges:
1. Traditional bridges involve creating a crown for the tooth on either side of the missing tooth, with a pontic in between. Traditional bridges are the most common type of bridge and are made of either porcelain fused to metal or ceramics.
2. Cantilever bridges are used when there are adjacent teeth on only one side of the missing tooth or teeth.
3. Maryland bonded bridges (also called a resin-bonded bridge or a Maryland bridge) are made of porcelain teeth and gums supported by a metal framework. Metal wings on each side of the bridge are bonded to your existing teeth.

There are three basic types of materials for dental bridges
1. Porcelain fused to metal dental bridges
2. All porcelain dental bridges
3. All metal dental bridges (Gold)
The all porcelain dental bridges and porcelain fused to metal (PFM) dental bridges are tooth colored bridges. Your dentist can help you decide which to be used based on the location of the missing tooth (teeth) and its function. PFM dental bridges are usually used to restore back teeth where the forces of chewing and grinding are strongest. All porcelain dental bridges are the most aesthetic and are used almost exclusively for front teeth where the need for strength is not as critical. Gold dental bridges are the most durable and offer the most precise fit. Gold dental bridge does not chip.

Benefits of Dental Bridges
- Restore your smile
- Restore your ability to properly chew and speak
- Maintain the shape of your face
- Distribute the forces in your bite properly by replacing missing teeth
- Prevent remaining teeth from drifting out of position
- Maintain good oral hygiene

Who is a candidate for dental bridges?
If you have missing teeth and have good oral hygiene practices with the neighboring teeth that close to the space are strong, you should discuss this procedure with your 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.

Duration: 10 – 14 days
Number of visits: 2 - 3 visits

Dental Crown:

A dental crown is a tooth-shaped "cap" that is placed over a tooth – covering the tooth to restore a tooth that has fractured, has a large cavity, has an old filling that has failed, or has had root canal therapy. Crown can also be used for cosmetic purposes; its shape, size, strength, and/or to improve its appearance.

Common types of materials used for dental crowns
1. Porcelain Fused-to-Metal Dental Crowns
2. All Porcelain Dental Crowns/All Ceramic Dental Crowns
3. All Metal Dental Crowns (Gold)


Dental Crowns Types
1. Porcelain Fused-to-Metal Dental Crowns
Advantage: Porcelain fused-to-metal crowns have a very natural appearance. They are usually used to restore
back teeth where the forces of chewing and grinding are strongest.
Disadvantage: They have a metal substructure and require an opaque below the porcelain. Sometimes the metal
underlying the crown's porcelain can show through as a dark line, especially at the gum line and even more so if
your gums recede.
2. All Porcelain Dental Crowns / All Ceramic Dental Crowns
Advantage: All porcelain crowns or all ceramic crowns are considered to be the most aesthetically pleasing,
are used almost exclusively for front teeth where the need for strength is not as critical and it is so easily
matched in color to the surrounding teeth.
Disadvantage: They are not as strong as porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns and they wear down opposing teeth a
little more than metal or resin crowns. All-ceramic crowns are a good choice for front teeth.
3. All Metal Dental Crowns (Gold Crowns)
Advantage: It is the simplest and least complicated preparation as there is minimal tooth structure removal with
as much as possible of the healthy tooth structure remaining untouched. Gold is also easier to fit to the area
where the tooth and crown meet for a better fit. Gold is also a healthier environment for the gum tissue.
Disadvantage: The biggest disadvantage to gold crowns is the cosmetic aspect, unless it is being used in the
back of your mouth.

Benefits of Dental Crowns
- To protect a weak tooth (for instance, from decay) from breaking or to hold together parts of a cracked tooth
- To restore an already broken tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn down
- To cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there is not a lot of tooth left
- To hold a dental bridge in place
- To cover misshaped or severely discolored teeth
- To cover a dental implant

Duration: 10 – 14 days
Number of visits: 2 - 3 visits


Dentures:

Dentures are removable appliances that are used to replace missing teeth.
Normally they are made of acrylic resin but can also be incorporated into metal or porcelain for additional structural support.

There are two main types of dentures: Complete/Full Dentures and Partial Dentures. Full dentures are used to replace the upper and lower arches while no teeth remain.

Dentures aid patients in chewing food, smiling, swallowing, restoring esthetics, supporting facial soft tissues, cheeks and lips. It also helps to reestablish the vertical dimension of the patient’s bite which is the distance between the chin and nose. In addition dentures rid you of pronunciation problems caused by missing teeth.

Duration: approx: 4 weeks
Number of visits: 5-6 visits