A bridge is a form of dental prosthetic that allows for the placement of an artificial tooth in an area where a healthy tooth used to exist.
When an entire tooth is lost, a bridge acts as a unifying device that supports the artificial tooth (called a pontic), and eliminates the gap between adjacent teeth. To accomplish this, the pontic must be joined to these adjacent teeth in order to stay in place.
Among the many ways this can be accomplished is through the use of crowns.
When used as support for a bridge, a prosthetic crown acts as a connecting anchor for the artificial tooth. It can be used in conjunction with an inlay or an onlay, or can be used in combination with another crown on the tooth that straddles the pontic.
With this dental procedure code, the crown is made entirely of either porcelain or ceramic.
A crown constructed of either of these materials yields positive cosmetic results, with porcelain creating a more natural look than the heavier look of full ceramic. For this reason, an all porcelain crown is typically used to repair decay on teeth within the smile-zone, whereas a fully ceramic crown is most often used in the rear of the mouth.
To look up and find more CDT dental codes from the American Dental Association, please visit our complete Dental Procedure Code Library.