Guide
Zirconia or acrylic: what your full-arch teeth are made of
Your implants carry the bridge; the bridge is what you see, smile and chew with. Our final full-arch teeth are zirconia on a titanium bar. Here is what that means, and how it compares with acrylic.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Rodolfo Rodriguez, DMD · Updated
First, the provisional
The fixed teeth screwed onto your implants on surgery day, so you never leave without teeth, are a provisional bridge. It is made to be light while the implants bond with the bone, usually over one to six months. Once they have healed, it is replaced with your final bridge.
Your final teeth: zirconia on a titanium bar
- Zirconia is a very strong ceramic that resists wear and staining, so the teeth keep their shape and color.
- Our in-house ceramist shades and layers it to look like natural teeth and gums, fitted to your face and your bite.
- A titanium bar inside the bridge connects the implants and supports the zirconia, made to fit them precisely.
How acrylic compares
Some full-arch bridges are made of acrylic teeth and gums on a metal framework. Acrylic is lighter and easier to repair if a tooth chips, but it wears and can stain over the years, and its teeth may need replacing. Zirconia keeps its look and its shape far longer, which is why we use it for your final teeth.
Planned around your bite
Zirconia is rigid, so the fit and the bite are planned precisely: how hard you bite, whether you clench or grind, and the teeth in the opposite jaw. If you grind, a night guard protects your new teeth.
Caring for your bridge
- Brush twice a day, including where the bridge meets the gums
- Clean under the bridge daily with a water flosser
- Come in for maintenance visits; at some of them we remove the bridge to clean it and check the implants
FAQs
Can zirconia chip?
Is the provisional also zirconia?
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