Maryland Bridges
The Maryland bridge is the most conservative fixed option for a single missing tooth: a pontic carried by bonded retainer wings, no full-coverage preparation. We fabricate metal-wing and all-ceramic designs in our California, Colorado, and Texas labs, verify every wing on the model before shipping, and deliver to practices nationwide. Precise fit, clean bonding surfaces, honest case advice.
What Is a Maryland Bridge?
A Maryland bridge, known in dentistry as a resin-bonded bridge, replaces a missing tooth with a pontic carried by one or two thin retainer wings bonded to the lingual surfaces of the adjacent teeth. Because retention comes from adhesion rather than full crowns, healthy tooth structure stays where it belongs: on the patient. That conservative logic makes the Maryland bridge a restoration of choice for young patients awaiting implant placement, for congenitally missing lateral incisors and other front tooth gaps, and for patients who want fixed teeth without aggressive preparation of two healthy neighbors. Framework selection drives both esthetics and bond performance, so we build every Maryland dental bridge around the individual case: cast metal wings with a bonded porcelain pontic where proven adhesion matters most, or metal-free zirconia and lithium disilicate designs where a dark wing could show through the abutment.
When to Prescribe a Maryland Bridge for Your Patient
Consider a Maryland bridge for single anterior gaps with sound enamel on the abutments, a favorable occlusion, and patients who need a fixed interim or definitive solution without surgery. Adolescents who are still growing and cannot receive an implant yet are the classic indication; adults who decline surgery or need to preserve the site are a close second. Maryland bridge prep stays minimal by design: depending on the case, a shallow lingual enamel reduction or small rest seats improve seating, and many abutments need little more than clean, etchable enamel. Deep vertical overlap, heavy parafunction, or insufficient enamel shift the case toward a conventional bridge; when that is the better path, our technicians tell you before design, not after delivery. Single-wing cantilever designs are available where your treatment plan calls for them, and the framework decision always stays with you as the treating clinician.
Materials & Options
- Materials
- Non-precious metal wings + porcelain pontic; zirconia; e.max
- Options
- Single-wing (cantilever) or two-wing design, per Rx
- Turnaround
- 7–10 working days
- Rush Available
- Not available for this product line
- Delivery
- Nationwide UPS/FedEx
- Digital Files
- STL, OBJ accepted
How We Process Your Maryland Bridge Case
- 1
Send Your Case
Impressions or intraoral scan, shipped or uploaded via our portal
- 2
Design & Verify
Wing geometry, path of insertion and pontic design checked by a technician
- 3
Fabricate & Finish
Cast or milled framework, pontic ceramics, documented final QC
- 4
Deliver
Nationwide UPS/FedEx, scheduled to your seat date
Contact Us
Frequently Asked Questions
Start Sending Bonded Bridge Cases
New accounts: we respond within 24 hours. Pickup & nationwide delivery available.
Open a Lab AccountMaryland bridge or flipper: which should I prescribe?
A flipper is removable and usually an interim measure; a Maryland bridge is fixed, bonded to enamel, and can serve as a long-term restoration when occlusion and bonding conditions cooperate. For short healing phases before implants, many clinicians start with a dental flipper and switch to a bonded bridge if the interim stretches. We fabricate both, so the Rx can evolve with your treatment plan.
How much does a Maryland bridge cost?
As a lab, we quote per case rather than publishing patient prices: the maryland bridge cost on your fee schedule depends on framework material, one wing or two, and pontic ceramics. Open a lab account and you receive our current fee schedule for resin-bonded work, so you can answer the how-much question chairside with real numbers, including before-and-after photo documentation if you use it in consultations.
Metal wing or all-ceramic framework: how do I decide?
Cast metal wings are thin and have a long clinical track record, but can gray a translucent abutment, which matters most on a maryland bridge front tooth case. Zirconia and lithium disilicate frameworks keep the smile zone metal-free at some cost in wing rigidity or bonding protocol. Tell us the abutment shade and occlusal situation on the Rx and the responsible technician confirms the framework with you before fabrication.
When is a full-coverage bridge the better choice?
Multiple missing teeth, short or heavily restored abutments, and insufficient enamel for adhesion all argue for full-coverage retainers instead of bonded wings. In those situations we typically recommend a conventional zirconia bridge; both restorations come from the same technicians, so switching the Rx is simple.