𝐅𝐏𝐃 𝟑 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭

 The fixed partial denture (FPD) is a dental restoration used to replace missing teeth and that is permanently attached to adjacent teeth or dental implants.21 It is like a ‘bridge’ fixed on the ‘stages.’ Here, the adjacent teeth or dental implants, called abutments, act as the stages to support the FPD bridge. Three main components are locked together in one FPD unit: pontic, retainer, and connector 

A Pontic is the artificial tooth on an FPD that replaces the missing natural tooth and restores its function. [The retainer is an important appliance that unites the abutment teeth with the suspended portion of the bridge. Both intracoronal and extracoronal restorations can be used as retainers and are fixed by adhesion. A connector is another important appliance that unites the retainer(s) and pontic(s). There are two kinds of connectors, either a rigid (locked) connector or a non-rigid connector (that works like a hinge). When an occlusal force is applied to the pontic, it is delivered to the connector, retainer, and finally to the abutments and the surrounding bone structure by connecting the FPD and abutments together.

The quality of the abutments and surrounding bone play a very important role in the success of the FPD. The general principle is that the rigid support provided by abutments should overcome any stress levels applied on the pontics. In other words, the prerequisite is that there are enough healthy abutments to compensate for the missing tooth/teeth. Based on Robert’s Law and Ante’s Law, biting forces and the periodontal membrane area must be considered when selecting the abutment tooth.