Dental bridges have many advantages for people who are missing teeth as a result of dental disease, fractures or injury. If you maintain good oral hygiene and see your dentist regularly, a fixed dental bridge can last for approximately 10 years.

A dental bridge consists of dental crowns for the teeth anchoring either side of the bridge, and a false tooth (or teeth) between them. There are three main types of bridges:

• Traditional Bridge. This is the most common type, and it is usually made of ceramics or porcelain fused to metal.
• Cantilever Bridge. This style of bridge is used to accommodate situations where there are only teeth on one side of the gap where the bridge is placed.
• Maryland Bonded Bridge. This type of bridge consists of a porcelain tooth (or teeth) in a metal framework, with wings to attach it to existing teeth.

No matter what type of bridge you have, the success of a dental bridge depends in part on keeping the remaining surrounding teeth healthy, and that’s where a regular oral care routine of twice-daily tooth brushing and daily flossing comes in. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles or an interdental cleaner to clean around a bridge effectively, and choose floss that is designed to clean around bridges, like Oral-B® Super Floss which has a stiff end to use like a threader and a spongy texture to fit into a variety of spaces between teeth.