Are you missing a tooth and thinking of replacing it with a dental bridge? If so, you may not have known that there are actually four ways to install a dental bridge. While you may not be able to pick from all of them, it's important to know what all the options are before moving forward

Traditional

A traditional bridge is what you typically think of when envisioning a dental bridge. Is it used when you are missing a tooth that is located between two healthy teeth, and it requires that those surrounding healthy teeth have enough enamel removed to make room for a crown on each tooth. Those crowns are then used to support the artificial tooth between them and form the bridge. Traditional bridges can be used to replace several missing teeth in a row as well. 

Cantilever

A cantilever bridge is similar to the traditional bridge, but it only requires removing enamel from one healthy tooth in order to support the bridge. This can be used in situations where a dental patients would rather not cause damage to two teeth that are perfectly healthy, and would rather remove enamel from one healthy tooth so a crown can be placed on it.

Another reason for using a cantilever bridge is if one of the teeth that is next to the missing tooth is not healthy. If you know that there will be problems with that tooth down the road, it may be best to use the cantilever bridge to avoid any complications where the whole bridge needs to come out. The cantilever bridge can also be used to replace rear molars where there is not another tooth on the opposite side to support the bridge.

Maryland

A Maryland bridge is different because it does not require that the surrounding healthy teeth have the enamel removed to fit a crown on them. Instead, it uses prosthetic material made out of porcelain or metal that is bonded to the rear side of the health teeth. It's a different approach to installing a dental bridge, and often used to replace a front tooth that is surrounded by healthy teeth.

Implant Supported

If you are missing multiple teeth in a row, an implant supported bridge may be your best option. If you are missing two teeth, a single implant can be used to support a cantilever style bridge to fill in the gap. If you're missing three teeth, two implants can be used to support a traditional bridge. Learn more about cosmetic dental bridges today.