I bit into a fork couple of months back. and hurt a lower tooth. I have just lost that one lower tooth(# 24). We are considering doing a bridge from canine to canine because the two on the two sides of the missing tooth are OK but kind of weak the dentist said. Options I have been given are 1) Maryland bridge or 2) fixed conventional bridge. I have tried to compare the two types from literature but I am not sure what would be my best option. I would really appreciate your opinion and advice.
– Avram from New York
Avram,
There may be more than those two options. I haven’t seen your case myself, so I can’t say for sure, but I’d maybe get a second opinion and see if there isn’t something else that can be done.
Neither of the two options sounds very attractive. A Maryland Bridge is conservative, but it is made out of metal, and it will darken the adjacent teeth. You may be interested to see a case of a Maryland Bridge that Dr. Malone removed to replace it with a more esthetic porcelain veneer bridge. The bridge from canine to canine sounds very aggressive for replacing just one missing tooth.
Was a dental implant considered as an option? I’d suggest finding a dentist who does a lot of dental implants and asking if this could be a case for an implant. There are also other conservative esthetic bridge options, such as a porcelain veneer bridge, an Encore bridge, or other choices that an expert cosmetic dentist could provide. You’re in New York. You can find an excellent cosmetic dentist by going to the mynewsmile.com cosmetic dentistry website.
Good luck.