As mentioned in the previous paragraph, no surgical intervention is necessary for adhesive fastening of zirconium oxide, which minimizes the risk for patients. However, the adhesive fixation of zirconium oxide is generally preferred to cementing. On the one hand, because the restoration can be removed almost completely without leaving any residue and the neighboring teeth remain undamaged, on the other hand because the composite, which serves as an adhesive bond, is more translucent and therefore more aesthetic than gray cement.

Adhesive bridges - often also referred to as Maryland bridges or adhesive bridges - are still seen as a temporary solution before the definitive restoration is used.

According to Prof. Dr. Matthias Kern, who specializes with minimally invasive procedures in dentistry and the associated adhesively fixed dentures, the long-term performance of adhesive bridges is in no way inferior to that of conventional bridges or single-tooth implants with crowns. On the contrary: meta-analyses on restorations in the incisor area show that the long-term results of adhesive bridges made of zirconium are better than those of implant crowns.

Only 1 in 20 zirconia bridges bonded with adhesive is lost over a 10-year period, representing a 95% success rate. For comparison: with implant crowns it is five out of 50.

As the term "two-winged" already suggests, this type of restoration is a bridge framework with two wings - i.e. adhesive surfaces on two sides. The zirconium oxide framework is adhesively attached to both adjacent teeth.

The difference to the two-wing adhesive bridge results from the designation. Instead of two wings, the single-wing Maryland bridge only has one adhesive surface that is attached to one of the two adjacent teeth.

Contrary to original assumptions, the single-wing version of the adhesively fixed zirconium oxide bridge is the more stable one. If the pontic is attached to both neighboring teeth with the help of two adhesive surfaces, the natural freedom of movement of the teeth is severely restricted. As a result, the chewing forces act unchecked on the bridge and one of the two adhesive surfaces may detach from the neighboring tooth. If this circumstance is not immediately noticed by the patient, the resulting gap harbors a high risk of tooth decay.

However, the single-wing adhesive bridge offers even more advantages. Since it is a pontic with only one adhesive surface, it is less expensive. In addition, only one tooth has to be roughened for bonding and since no undercuts between the teeth have to be removed, the preparation is also much easier.

As with any treatment with ceramic veneers for patients suffering from bruxism, the risk of chipping is also increased here. In principle, however, adhesive bridges do not pose a problem - as long as they are single-wing adhesive bridges. A few years ago, when two-wing adhesive bridges were predominant, adhesive treatment was considered contraindicated for bruxism patients, since the adhesive surfaces are exposed to enormous stress from the crunching.