TL;DR
A fixed bridge closes the space left by a missing tooth with a false tooth joined to crowns on the neighboring teeth, all cemented in place. It suits a gap with sturdy teeth on both sides, especially when those teeth already need crowns. Fitting one takes two visits. Our smile gallery includes a bridge we remade: an old three-unit bridge with chipped porcelain and metal showing, replaced in all-porcelain. Before you decide, Dr. Prane will compare it for you with an implant and a partial denture.
What is a fixed bridge?
A fixed bridge is one piece of porcelain work that spans a gap in your teeth. The replacement tooth in the middle, called a pontic, rests on the gum where the missing tooth stood. On each side it’s joined to a crown that fits over a natural tooth, called an abutment. Everything is cemented, so the bridge never comes out at night the way a partial denture does.
The most common design is a three-unit bridge: two crowns holding one false tooth. Longer spans can work when the supporting teeth are strong enough to carry the extra load, though each tooth added asks more of them.
Why replace a missing tooth at all?
A gap changes the teeth around it, even when it doesn’t show. Neighboring teeth tend to tip into the space, and the tooth that used to meet the missing one can drift out of its socket because nothing stops it. Over months and years the bite shifts, food packs into new corners, and chewing moves to the other side.
The bone that held the root also shrinks once the root is gone. A bridge keeps the neighbors in place and restores the bite, but it doesn’t stop that bone loss under the false tooth. An implant is the option that does, which is one reason we always lay the two side by side.
Is a bridge or an implant better for one missing tooth?
The right choice depends mostly on the teeth beside the gap. If they’re healthy and untouched, a bridge means shaping them for crowns they don’t otherwise need, and an implant leaves them alone. If they already carry large fillings or cracks, a bridge protects them and replaces the missing tooth in the same piece of work.
Other things weigh in too: the bone under the gap, your general health, your timeline and your insurance. An implant needs months to bond with the bone before its crown goes on, while a bridge is finished in a couple of weeks. You can read about implant-supported crowns to compare, and bring your questions to the consultation.
How is a bridge made and fitted?
A bridge takes two appointments. At the first, we numb the area, shape the two supporting teeth, take an impression and choose the shade, then fit a temporary bridge so you don’t leave with a gap. A dental laboratory builds the final bridge from that impression.
At the second, we try the bridge in and check how the crowns seal at the gumline, how the bite meets the opposite teeth, and how the false tooth sits on the gum. Its underside is shaped to rest lightly there, so it looks as if it grows from the gum while still letting floss pass beneath. Only when all of that is right do we cement it.
What does a replaced bridge look like?
One case in our smile gallery shows a bridge that had reached the end of its life. The patient’s three-unit bridge had chipped porcelain, and metal showed at its edges. It was replaced with an all-porcelain bridge matched to the surrounding natural teeth and fitted to the gumline.
Many older bridges were built as porcelain over a metal frame, and as the gum recedes a gray edge can come into view. An all-porcelain bridge has no metal to show. Results vary with every mouth, and the gallery photos carry the practice’s own captions.
How do you look after a bridge, and what does it cost?
Daily cleaning under the false tooth is what keeps a bridge healthy. Floss can’t pass between the joined teeth, so you thread it beneath the pontic with a floss threader or use a water flosser. The main risk is decay or gum disease at the supporting teeth, and we check both at every cleaning.
Many plans pay a share of a bridge, and we check your benefits at no charge first. The practice has run an offer of $300 off major treatment, bridges included, for new patients after the exam and diagnosis; ask which offers are running now. Our payment and financing options include CareCredit and DocPay arrangements.