What is an Implant Supported Bridge?
A traditional dental bridge consists of an artificial tooth fused between two crowns, which is firmly glued to ground secondary teeth or dental implants adjacent to the gap where the tooth is missing. There are three types of bridges: traditional, implant and Maryland. A traditional bridge is used when there are healthy teeth on each side of the gap, which are then ground down to fit the crown. Conversely, an implant-supported bridge is used if you do not have enough healthy and strong teeth to support the bridge or if you are missing several teeth. This type of bridge is anchored on dental implants, which are surgically placed in the jawbone for this purpose. A Maryland bridge is used if the gap is in the front of the mouth.
Implants are small screws that are placed in the jaws and act as artificial roots for missing teeth. The most common material for their construction is titanium, a biocompatible metal that has been used for many years in orthopedics for the reduction of fractures. The bond that develops between the titanium and the jawbone is so strong that it makes the implant capable of supporting an artificial tooth that will normally participate in the function of chewing. In other words, the implant becomes 'one' with the jawbone through a process called osseointegration.
The parts that make up a natural tooth are two, the crown, that is, the part of the tooth that can be seen in the mouth, and the root, the part that is inside the jawbone. On the contrary, the implant has 3 parts: the implant itself, which is placed in the jawbone and replaces the root of the missing tooth, the link (abutment) that connects the implant to the crown, which is the third part and replaces the actual missing tooth.
Dental implants can be placed:
* When only one tooth is missing. In this way, the grinding of adjacent teeth, which is necessary for the construction of a bridge, is avoided.
* When more teeth are missing. In this case, there is no need to place as many implants as there are missing teeth. They definitely need 2 implants at the ends and maybe some in between, depending on how many missing teeth there are. A bridge is placed over them.
* When all the teeth are missing. In this case, with the placement of implants, a fixed prosthetic restoration can be made in the upper or lower jaw, replacing the complete dentures that used to be one-way. Today, with an average of 6 implants in the lower jaw and 8 in the upper jaw, we can replace all missing teeth with fixed bridges.
* When the patient wears complete dentures, which are not fixed. In this case, as a more economical solution, we can place 2 implants in the lower jaw or 4 in the upper jaw and then adjust the denture so that it rests on them, gaining stability.
In the case where a few teeth in a row are missing, your dentist may decide that the best course of action is the implant-supported bridge.
