CATEGORIES OF INLAY FLANGE BRIDGES
- Single abutment cantilever bridges with porcelain sub-tissue pontics,providing an affordable alternative to implant therapy. The esthetics in the 10-year old case below were improved by its pontic design. Its undersurface is ovate and a mini-flap was raised at the time of cementation and a small amount of bone removed from the crest of the ridge. Into this space the pontic was placed several millimeters sub-gingivally. In healing the papilla were bulked up,healing by secondary intention, without sutures. The small crestal bone removal creates room for “biological width” around the ovate pontic, akin to that understood for esthetic crown margin placement, i.e., the space necessary for proper development of normal tissue differentiation and stratification, generating this pleasing and healthy ten year result.
- Multiple abutment anterior Inlay-Flange bridges with porcelain pontics, where virgin teeth with sound roots adjoin an edentulous space and high esthetics are desired.
- Multiple abutment anterior Inlay-Flange bridges with composite pontics for inexpensive retention of periodontally-compromised abutments, postponing transition to dentures, restoring patient confidence and comfortable function.
- Multiple abutment Inlay-Flange splints without pontics, such as periodontal splints
- Inlay-Flange applications in removable prosthetics. Guide planes, rests, semi-precision or precision retainers can be mated to natural teeth to improve retention and stability of partial dentures. This early case displays some grey shine-through from the retainer metal behind, because a transparent luting cement was used. Subsequent cases do not display greying due to the use of an opaque cement.
