Question:
I have a 15 yr old bridge (front teeth) where a sliver chipped from the
middle tooth. My dentist tried twice to repair, but the bonds did not hold.
Are there any new techniques that might work? I'm trying to avoid spending
$2k on a new bridge.
Answer:
...if you had a new bridge made now you'd be lucky if it lasted
anywhere near 15yr...we are so hemded in by costs here ( the uk )
we have to produce each bridge unit for around 34 pounds sterling..
what's that ? about 20 dollars.....the material quality doesn't bear
thinking about......
34 sterling at 1.5 (say) is 51 dollars (just back from a holiday in the US) - so
not so bad as you suggest.
Of course, the extra money goes to pay the dentist's receptionist, taxes etc.
Your dentist needs a special kit to treat the porcelain first. The
general idea is that porcelain itself can be etched with hydrofluoric
acid (not hydrochloric) and then the bridge can be repaired by a
bonding procedure.
You can also use it to repair a porcelain bath tub which has chiipped.
Re veneering to an existing bridge can be hit or miss. Success depends on
several factors:
a. The material of the bridge to which the veneer is to be bonded
If the fracture is a intra-procelain fracture the chances for success are the
greatest. Etching with a ceramic etch followed by normal bonding procedures
can achieve extremely high bond strengths. If the material is metal
(particularly high gold content) the bond strengths are considerably less.
The metal can be micro etched and tin plated to improve the chances of
a successful union
b. Your bite If you are a clencher, grinder or have a Class II occlusion
(overbite), the cards are stacked against a long term union.
c. habits you may have If you are a nail biter, ice chewer, pencil chewer,
(seamstress, or carpenter) "forget about it"
Remember the best bond you had was the one created by the lab outside of
the mouth, and that failed. Give bonding one more chance then, bite
the bullet (figuratively), and go for a new bridge.
