PONTIC DESIGN

Presented by :
DR. PRAGATI RAWAT
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 CONTENTS
 PONTIC
• FACTORS IN PONTIC DESIGNING
• CLASSIFICATION

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COMPONENTS OF FDP

Pontic Connector

Retainer
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PONTIC 2 is an artificial tooth on a fixed dental prosthesis that replaces
a missing natural tooth, restores its function, and usually fills the space
previously occupied by the clinical crown. (GPT-8)

CONNECTOR 2 : the portion of a fixed dental prosthesis that unites the

retainer(s) and pontic(s). (GPT-8)

RETAINER 2
: any type of device used for the stabilization or retention
of a prosthesis. (GPT 8)

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 PONTIC
• A Fixed Dental Prosthesis is often indicated where one or more teeth
require removal or are missing.

• Such teeth are replaced by PONTICS that are designed to fulfil the
functional and often the esthetic requirements of the missing teeth. 3

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• The design of the prosthetic tooth will be dictated by esthetics, function,
ease of cleaning, maintenance of healthy tissue on the edentulous ridge,
and patient comfort.4

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 CONSIDERATIONS FOR A
SUCCESSFUL PONTIC DESIGN

BIOLOGICAL MECHANICAL ESTHETIC

- Rigid (to resist - Shaped to look like tooth it replaces
deformation)
- Cleansable tissue surface
- Strong connectors (to- prevent
- No pressure on ridge Appearsfractures)
to grow out of the edentulous ridge
Ridge Contact Choice Of-Pontic
Should have sufficient
Gingival space for porcelain
Interface
Material
Oral Hygiene
Considerations Inciso Gingival Length

Pontic Material Mesio Distal Width

Occlusal Forces
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BIOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS
RIDGE CONTACT

• There should be atleast 3 mm space between the pontic and tissue so that
patient could maintain hygiene.

• Less than 2 mm space can lead to food entrapment.

3 mm
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• If contacting, the pontic should have minimal passive contact with the
ridge.

• Pressure-free contact between the pontic and the underlying tissues is

indicated to prevent ulceration and inflammation of the soft tissues.
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• Gingival embrasures around the pontic should be wide enough to permit
oral hygiene aids. However, to prevent food entrapment, they should not be
opened excessively.

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ORAL HYGEIENE CONSIDERATIONS

• Patients must be taught efficient oral hygiene techniques, with

particular emphasis on cleaning the gingival surface of the pontic

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 PONTIC MATERIAL

• Any material chosen to fabricate the pontic should provide good esthetic results
where needed: biocompatibility, rigidity, and strength to withstand occlusal
forces; and longevity.

• Glazed porcelain is the most biocompatible of available pontic materials

• Highly glazed porcelain is easier to clean than other materials

• However regardless of the choice of pontic material, patient can prevent

inflammation around the pontic with meticulous oral hygiene.
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 OCCLUSAL FORCES

• Reducing the buccolingual width of the pontic lessen the occlusal forces and thus the loading
of the abutment teeth.

• Also, forces are lessened only when food of uniform consistency chewed and that a mere 12%
increase in chewing efficiency can be expected from a one-third reduction of pontic width.

• Collapsed residual alveolar ridge buccolingually, requires to lessen the lingual contour and
facilitate plaque control measures.
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 MECHANICAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Prognosis of FDP pontic s is compromised if mechanical principles are not followed closely.

• Long-span posterior FDPs are particularly susceptible to mechanical problems due to significant flexing
from high occlusal forces.

• Therefore, evaluating the likely forces on a pontic and designing accordingly is important.

• Eg : in areas of high stresses strong all metal pontic may be needed rather than metal ceramic pontic.
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 SPAN LENGTH

• Bending or deflection varies directly with the cube of the length and
inversely with the cube of the occlusogingival thickness of the pontic.

• Compared with a fixed partial denture having a single tooth pontic span, a
two-tooth pontic span will bend 8 times as much.

• A three-tooth pontic will bend 27 times as much as a single pontic.

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• A pontic with a given occlusogingival dimension will bend eight times as
much if the pontic thickness is halved.

• A long-span fixed partial denture on short mandibular teeth could have

disappointing results.

• Longer pontic spans also have the potential for producing more torquing
forces on the fixed partial denture, especially on the weaker abutment. 16
• To minimize flexing caused by long spans, pontic designs with a greater
occlusogingival dimension should be selected.

• The prosthesis may also be fabricated of an alloy with higher yield strength, such
as nickel-chromium.

• Double abutments are sometimes used as a means of overcoming problems created

by unfavorable crown-root ratios and long spans.

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 ESTHETIC CONSIDERATIONS
THE GINGIVAL INTERFACE

• Special care must be taken when studying where shadows fall around
natural teeth, particularly around the gingival margin. If a pontic is
poorly adapted to the residual ridge, there will be an unnatural shadow
in the cervical area that looks odd and spoils the illusion of a natural
tooth.

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• Ovate pontic used in conjugation with alveolar preservation or soft
tissue ridge augmentation can provide an appearance at the gingival
interface that is virtually indistinguishable from the natural tooth.

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 Incisogingival Length
• Obtaining a correctly sized pontic simply by duplicating the original tooth is not
possible. Ridge resorption will make such a tooth look too long in the cervical
region.

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 • Incisogingival Length
• Obtaining a correctly sized pontic simply by duplicating the
original tooth is not possible. Ridge resorption will make such a
tooth look too long in the cervical region.

•An abnormal labiolingual position or cervical contour,

however, is not immediately obvious. This fact can be used to
produce a pontic of good appearance by recontouring the
gingival half of the labial surface region. 26
• One solution is to shape the pontic to simulate a normal crown
and root with emphasis on the cementoenamel junction. The
root can be stained to simulate exposed dentin

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 Mesiodistal width

• Frequently, the space available for a pontic will be greater or smaller than
the width of the contralateral tooth.

MANAGEMENT:

• Orthodontic correction.

• Incorporation of principles of visual perception.

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• THE RETAINERS AND THE PONTICS CAN BE
PROPORTIONED TO MINIMIZE THE
DISCREPANCY.

PONTIC ABUTMENT PONTIC ABUTMENT

Larger space for pontic Small space for pontic

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 • When replacing a
posterior tooth (A),
duplicate the dimension
of the more visible mesial
half of the adjacent tooth.
Narrow (B) and wide (C)
pontic spaces.

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SURFACES OF A PONTIC

• The Ridge

• The occlusal/incisal

• The proximal

• The buccal or labial

• The lingual or palatal

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CLASSIFICATION OF PONTIC

METAL CERAMIC

BASED ON MATERIAL :
CAST METAL

RESIN PROCESSED
TO METAL

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 Ridge lap

Ovate
MUCOSAL CONTACT
Conical
BASED ON CONTACT OF
THE PONTIC WITH THE Modified Ridge
MUCOSA Lap

Sanitary
NO MUCOSAL CONTACT
(hygienic)
Modified Sanitary
(hygienic)
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• BASED ON THE SHAPE : Spheroidal
Conical
Ridge Lap
Modified Ridge Lap

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• Based on the method of fabrication
Prefabricated pontic
Custom made pontic

1. Trupontic
1. Porcelain fused to
metal 2. Flatbacks

3. Long-pin facings

4. Pontips

5. Reverse pin facing pontic

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TYPES OF PONTICS

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Spheroidal Pontic

• Contacts without pressure the tip of the ridge

or the buccal surface.

• In mandibular posteriors, esthetics is not a

major concern, so spheroidal pontic is the choice

because of its contour.

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Saddle / Ridge-Lap Pontic

• Looks most like natural tooth.

• Forms a large concave contact with the ridge.

• Ridge lap- overlaps the facial and lingual aspects of

the ridge.

• Simulate the contours and emergence profile of the missing tooth on

both sides of the residual ridge.
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• It should be avoided because the concave gingival surface of the pontic is
not accessible to cleaning with dental floss, which will lead to plaque
accumulation.

TISSUE INFLAMMATION
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MODIFIED RIDGE LAP PONTIC

• Combines esthetics with hygiene maintenance.

• overlaps the residual ridge on the facial (to achieve the appearance of
a tooth emerging from the gingiva) but remains clear of the ridge on
the lingual.

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• Tissue contact should resemble a letter T whose vertical arm
ends at the crest of the ridge. Facial ridge adaptation is essential
for a natural appearance.

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• The modified ridge lap design is the most common pontic form used
in areas of the mouth that are visible during function (maxillary and
mandibular anterior teeth and maxillary premolars and first molars).

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CONICAL PONTIC

• egg-shaped, bullet-shaped, or heart-shaped,

• It should be made as convex as possible, with only one point of

contact at the centre of the residual ridge.

• This design is recommended for the replacement of mandibular

posterior teeth where esthetics is a lesser concern.

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• This type of design may be unsuitable for

broad residual ridges, because the emergence

profile associated with the small tissue contact

point may create areas of food entrapment.

• It is well suited for use on a thin mandibular ridge

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OVATE PONTIC

• The ovate pontic is the most Esthetically

appealing pontic design.

• Its convex tissue surface resides in a soft tissue

depression or hollow in the residual ridge, which

makes it appear that a tooth is literally emerging

from the gingiva.

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• The broad convex geometry is stronger than that of the modified
ridge lap pontic, because the unsupported, thin porcelain that often
exists at the gingivofacial extent of the pontic is eliminated.

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• Because the tissue surface of the pontic is convex in all dimensions, it
is accessible to dental floss; however, meticulous oral hygiene is
necessary to prevent tissue inflammation resulting from the large
area of tissue contact.

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• the papillae may be supported and maintained, when used as an
immediate replacement, and may reduce the occurrence of ‘black
triangles’ which result from the recession of the interdental papillae.

• This pontic design is ideal for the anterior maxilla, especially if there is
a high smile line or when aesthetic demands are high.

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1- Prepare teeth to final tooth
preparation adjacent to the extraction
tooth.

2- Make an impression of the tooth

preparation and future extraction site.

3-Extract tooth internally to protect

lateral papillae and buccal and lingual
plates.

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4-Pour the impression and prepare the
mock wax up.

5- Use acrylic resin trimming bur to form

pontic site in stone.

6- Coat stone preparations and ovate

pontic site with separating media.
Tooth preparation of pontic site in
die stone to preserve normal
7- Mix and pour the provisional material anatomic contours

to a viscous state. 50
8- Adjust the pontic for correct depth,
facial and lingual extensions,
embrasures, and occlusion.

9- Monitor at monthly intervals by

removing the provisional restoration.

10-Repolish the ovate pontic apex at

each visit.

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11- When healing is completed , minor
preparation is necessary , because of tissue
shrinkage.

12- Refinement of provisional restoration

can be ensured by a precise duplication
model.

13-Make an circumferential index.

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 Seated final Fpd on trimmed ovate pontic index

Final fpd on the day of seating Restoration after the 1 yr of

preparation
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 SANITARY PONTIC

• the primary design feature of the sanitary pontic allows easy cleaning,
because its tissue surface remains clear of the residual ridge.
• Disadvantages- entrapment of food particles, which may lead to tongue habits
that may annoy the patient.
• The hygienic pontic is the least "tooth like" design and is therefore
reserved for teeth seldom displayed during function
(i.e., the mandibular molars) 54
MODIFIED SANITARY PONTIC

• Given by Perel in 1972.

• Its gingival portion is shaped like an archway between the retainers.

• This permits increased connector size while decreasing the stress

concentrated in the pontic and connectors.

• It is also less susceptible to tissue proliferation that can occur when a

pontic is too close to the residual ridge. 55
 NATURAL TOOTH PONTIC

• Use of patient’s own tooth as a pontic and bonding it to adjacent

teeth is more conservative, less time consuming and more
psychologically compatible to the patients who suffer from severe
psychological trauma due to loss of tooth in the esthetic zone.

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• Using natural tooth as a pontic offers the benefits of being in right
size, shape and colour. When the crown of the tooth is in satisfactory
condition, it can be temporarily bonded to the adjacent teeth with
light cured restorative material

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