If you have missing teeth and have good oral hygiene practices, you should discuss this procedure with your dental surgeon. If spaces are left unfilled, the surrounding teeth drift out of position. Additionally, spaces from missing teeth can cause other teeth to become far more susceptible to tooth decay.

There are three types of dental bridges:

A dental bridge is a false tooth, which is fused between two crowns (porcelain / metal) to fill in the area left by a missing tooth. There are two crowns holding it in place that are attached onto your teeth on each side of the false tooth. This is known as a fixed bridge. This procedure is used to replace one or more missing teeth. Fixed bridges cannot be taken out of your mouth as you might do with removable partial dentures. With these bridges a person can function just as with natural teeth.

The resin bonded is primarily used for your front teeth. Less expensive, this bridge is best used when the neighbouring teeth are healthy and don't have large fillings. The false tooth is fused to metal bands that are bonded to the abutment teeth with a resin which is hidden from view. This type of bridge reduces the amount of preparation on the adjacent teeth.

In areas of your mouth that are under less stress, such as your front teeth, a cantilever bridge may be used. Cantilever bridges are used when there are teeth on only one side of the open space. This procedure involves anchoring the false tooth to one side over one or more natural and adjacent teeth.