There are four common types of bridges: traditional, cantilever, Maryland, and implant-supported. Your dentist will discuss with you to determine which best fits your needs.
- Traditional dental bridges are the most popular type. They most obviously resemble real teeth in that they utilize dental crowns, called abutments, which are cemented onto teeth adjacent to the missing tooth or teeth, with the pontics or fake teeth spanning the empty space.
- A cantilever dental bridge is commonly used when there are only teeth on one side of the gap. Two crowned teeth on one side of the missing tooth space hold the filler tooth, which extends into the space.
- A “Maryland” dental bridge is normally used to replace missing front teeth. A filler is attached to metal bands, which are bonded to the abutment teeth.
- An implant-supported dental bridge is similar to a normal bridge, except that, instead of using crowned teeth as the abutments, dental implants support the bridge.