The dental bridge: replacing missing teeth with a fixed solution

A bridge spans a gap. The two neighbouring teeth are ground down and crowned, and between them hangs the pontic – the replacement tooth that has no hold of its own in the bone. Everything is firmly joined and is not taken out.

What a bridge requires

Load-bearing abutments. The neighbouring teeth must stand firm, must have no untreated periodontitis and must bring enough substance with them. If they are already extensively filled or crowned anyway, that argues for the bridge – then little is lost by grinding them down. If, on the other hand, they are untouched, that is a weighty argument against it.

The point where opinions divide

For a single gap, bridge and implant stand against each other. The bridge is cheaper, faster and needs no surgery. The implant leaves the neighbours untouched and preserves the bone at the gap. This is set out in detail under Bridge or implant.

How long a bridge lasts

In studies the survival rate after ten years is around 90 per cent. What counts is less the bridge itself than the condition of the abutment teeth: decay at the crown margin and periodontitis are the most common reasons why a bridge has to be renewed in the end after all.