Pontic design and the pregnant patient

Correct answer: A. Modified ridge lap

• A. Correct. The modified ridge lap contacts the ridge only on the facial aspect in a thin line, giving the emergence profile an anterior tooth needs while leaving the lingual open and cleansable.
• B. The hygienic pontic sits clear of the ridge entirely. It is the easiest to clean but is unacceptable aesthetically in the anterior region.
• C. Conical (egg-shaped) pontics suit thin knife-edge posterior ridges, not an anterior aesthetic site.
• D. A full saddle pontic overlaps both facial and lingual slopes of the ridge, creating a broad concave tissue surface that cannot be cleaned and reliably inflames the mucosa.

Correct answer: D. Proceed with treatment now — the second trimester is the preferred window

• A. The third trimester is less comfortable — long supine appointments risk vena cava compression — so elective work is not postponed into it.
• B. Medical consultation is prudent for complex cases, but routine care in an uncomplicated pregnancy does not require written clearance for each procedure.
• C. Blanket deferral is not appropriate. Routine and preventive care is safe throughout pregnancy, and untreated disease carries its own risk.
• D. Correct. At 16 weeks she is already in the second trimester, which is the safest window: organogenesis is complete and the uterus is not yet large enough to cause supine hypotension.