Providing support for the pontic of natural tooth adhesive bridges: a clinical report

Resin bonded bridges have become established as a treatment option for replacing missing teeth. Their development can be traced to the work of Rochette who used a macro mechanically bonded metal framework to stabilize mobile teeth. Adaptations of Rochette's concept, using natural teeth as pontics, have been presented. The use of a natural tooth has aesthetic and psychological advantages for the patient. The high failure rate of natural tooth pontics may be explained by a lack of support for the tooth on the metal framework. A clinical report is presented to illustrate a previously unreported technique to improve pontic support.