Tooth #9 is to be extracted and replaced with a three-unit fixed bridge. Which pontic design allows the gingiva to form proper contours in this anterior site?

Patient case: Pontic design and the pregnant patient

Scenario: Two independent items on treatment planning.

Show answer and explanation

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.