From denture to FRC bridge: Dr Nik

It was supposed to be an appointment to adjust her immediate denture. An Immediate denture is a denture that was made before extraction especially for front teeth so that patient will not have a period of not having the front teeth. I did immediate denture for her a month ago because she had one loose front tooth and since she also has few missing back teeth, the denture was done to replace the other missing teeth as well.

As she was seated on the dental chair , she told me that she had difficulty in adjusting or getting used to the denture. She requested me to cut off the behind denture teeth and leave just the front tooth that will make the denture base plate smaller. This she hopes will make it a bit better or comfortable for her. Since now it’s just one front tooth that she wanted to replace, I proposed her to do fiber reinforced composite bridge (FRC bridge) instead. It is much more comfortable than denture because the bridge is bonded to the adjacent teeth and there’s no extra base plate covering the palate.

She immediately agreed to my proposal and since my next appointment was canceled, the FRC bridge was done on the same day.

FRC bridge is a dental bridge constructed using fiber glass strand and composite resin material. The Fiber glass strand is the core of the bridge which will strengthen the bridge and is bonded to the back surfaces of the adjacent teeth joining them together. The middle part of the strand that goes across the missing tooth area will be the core to hold composite resin that will be sculpted around and covering the fiber shaping it into the desired tooth shape.

The procedure usually took 1.5 to 2 hours time depending on difficulty of the case. In her case it took me 1.5 hours to complete the bridge. This was how it looks like before and after the treatment.

Of course, patient was very happy not just because it looks nice but mainly because she feels very comfortable without the plastic base plate of the denture.

So, are you wearing a single front tooth denture? Why don’t you come in for a check up and find out whether this is also suitable for you. It is affordable as it is much cheaper than porcelain bridge.

Looking forward to serve you soon!

Dr Nik (nik@drfauziah.com)