Technique Tips: Temporary Adhesive Bridges

Temporary adhesive bridges (TABs) are a short-term fixed solution for missing teeth in the aesthetic zone. They are commonly used for patients who are unwilling or unable to wear a denture or maintain an edentulous space, prior to definitive tooth replacement.

TABs are predominantly recommended for the cosmetic replacement of one or two teeth. They are commonly provided for three to six months, although in many cases the authors have successfully used temporary bridges for more than 12 months. TABs can be used with or without the Dahl concept.¹

The authors recommend the use of Rochette style retainers (wings)² with a 0.7–1.0 mm thickness perforated nickel chromium wing used on either side of the pontic(s) with full lingual or palatal coverage. The exact amount of occlusal, palatal and/or lingual coverage of the abutment teeth depends on the inter-occlusal space available and the choice of the occlusal scheme, ie using the Dahl concept, reorganizing the occlusion, or conforming to the occlusion (Figures 1–4). For TABs, the authors do not recommend preparation of abutment teeth or use of a rubber dam. A single cantilevered pontic and wing should be avoided for temporary bridges as these tend to debond unpredictably with the use of non-definitive cements.³ This contrasts to the authors' preference for cantilevered bridges with a single wing in definitive adhesive bridges.⁴ However, wings on both sides of the pontic(s) are unfeasible if an adjacent tooth is compromised or has a crown. In such cases, two wings can be used with a cantilevered pontic, ie double-abutting the retainers (Figure 5).