implants. Contraindications Size of saddle area too long. Patients with parafunction e.g. bruxism. Tooth mobility increases risk of de-bonding. Malaligned teeth resulting in poor aesthetics and common path of insertion. Abutment tooth quality inadequate for example may have a reduced surface area, reduced enamel or be heavily restored. Increased risk of caries due to increased difficulty in maintaining oral hygiene around the bridgework. Increased risk of loss of vitality. Allergy to base metal alloys e.g. nickel Poor patient motivation. Active dental disease (caries, periodontal disease) and poor oral hygiene. Types of artificial plastic teeth Types of artificial plastic teeth (known in the industry as Pontics) Wash-through Pontic (also known as hygienic pontic or sanitary pontic) Dome Pontic (also known as bullet or torpedo shaped) Ridge Lap Pontic (also known as Full Saddle Pontic) Modified Ridge-Lap Pontic Ovate Pontic A pontic aims to restore aesthetics, give occlusal stability and improve function. The hygienic pontic does not contact the underlying alveolar ridge, making it the most straightforward to keep clean. Due to the poor aesthetics of this design it is most commonly employed to replace mandibular molars. The bullet pontic is the second most favourable in terms of being able to maintain good oral hygiene, with the pontic only contacting one point of the alveolar ridge. Ridge lap and modified ridge lap pontics have superior aesthetics to the designs discussed previously, with the labial/buccal surface aiming to restore the appearance of a natural tooth from the incisal edge to the gingival margin. To minimise coverage of the soft tissues the lingual/palatal portion of the pontic is reduced to improve accessibility for maintaining good oral hygiene. For the modified ridge lap design the pontic only contacts the buccal aspect of the alveolar ridge. The ovate pontic comes into contact with the underlying soft tissue and hides the defects of the edentulous ridge with applying light pressure. It is commonly used in provisional bridges following extraction of teeth to improve the emergence profile and helps in shaping the gingiva around the future fixed prosthesis. Types of bridges according to durability Bridges can either be provisional (temporary / interim) or permanent. The provisional bridge is a transitional restoration that protects the teeth that are weakened by the preparation, and stabilises the dental tissues until the fabrication of the final restoration, moreover, it can pave the way to the aesthetics of the future permanent restoration and