Unlike Regular Dentures, Hybrid Bridges Stay in Place

Dr. Casagrande: The next option in full arch restorations is what is called a hybrid bridge. Like the overdenture, this, again, has pink acrylic and plastic teeth. The difference is this appliance is fixed. It stays in the mouth. It does not come out. You do not snap it in and out. As you can see, if you were to pull down your lip, there's a little bit of room for cleaning. No one would ever see that space unless you pull down your lip. The four holes that you can see in this appliance are the access holes where this bridge is screwed on to the implants. Those holes are sealed, and you never see them or feel them from a patient's point of view, but it allows me, the dentist, access back into your bridge if ever needed to remove the bridge, to repair anything, or just even after years of use to replace the worn teeth. This is a step up from the overdenture, because it stays in the mouth, and its cost to the patient is only slightly more than the overdenture, but yet excellent long-term results. After 36 years in practice, I've only made a dozen overdentures to date, and I've made thousands of hybrids, because the difference in cost to the patient is very small and the benefits of a fixed appliance greatly outweigh an overdenture.