Dental Bridges in Manchester at Your Smile Clinic

Bridges are a way to replace lost teeth by using the teeth on either side of a gap to support a false tooth. They are a fixed solution offering an alternative option to implants or dentures. 

 

The two main types of bridges are resin-retained bridges and conventional bridges. The difference lies in the way the false tooth is attached to the supporting teeth. 

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Resin-retained bridge

 

A resin-retained bridge, sometimes referred to as a “Maryland bridge” or “sticky bridge”, utilises modern adhesive dentistry techniques to attach the false tooth. They have a wing, made of either metal or porcelain, which sticks the false tooth to the supporting one. These types of bridges are most effective in replacing front teeth because the lighter forces and natural shape of these teeth are more favourable than in the back teeth. It is minimally invasive because very little or sometimes no preparation is needed to make space for the wing.

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Conventional bridge 

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A traditional bridge uses a full crown to attach the false tooth to the supporting teeth. These may be useful if you already need a crown on the supporting tooth, or if you need a back tooth replacement. This type of bridge is more retentive so less likely to come off, but requires a significant amount of tooth to be drilled to make room for the crown. This can compromise the health of the supporting tooth, therefore putting you at risk of losing an additional tooth in the future.