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Dental Bridges
What is a dental bridge?
A dental bridge is a treatment for replacing a missing tooth or multiple missing teeth. It is a requirement that the tooth (or teeth) being replaced have at least one tooth behind it and one tooth on either side of it.
Let’s say, for instance, that a patient is going to lose their first molar and decides to have a bridge made to replace the tooth. Typically, the tooth is extracted and given time to heal. Once the site has healed sufficiently, we prepare the teeth in front of and behind the missing space as they would be for a dental crown. These teeth are considered the “abutments” of the bridge.
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Dental Bridge or Dental Implant?
The decision to treat a missing tooth with a bridge, a dental implant, or not at all is often a complex decision that’s best made together with a dentist. Every situation and patient is completely different! While dental bridges are still a valid option in many situations, dental implants offer several benefits.
Why are implants sometimes better?
First, when placing an implant, there is no need to prepare the adjacent teeth for crowns. Preparing teeth for crowns unnecessarily increases the chance that they will require root canal treatment in the future. On the other hand, if both adjacent teeth already have old crowns that need to be replaced, a bridge becomes a more interesting option.
Bridges can also be hard to clean and require special tools to clean under them adequately. If a patient is at high risk for cavities and gets a cavity on one of the teeth involved in the bridge, the entire bridge will most likely have to be replaced. Some patients have no difficulty keeping bridges clean and maintained. Once again, every situation is different.
After a bridge is placed, the bone and tissue under it will still resorb over time. Very old bridges on patients typically no longer adapt to the gums, leaving large gaps that trap food. Implants maintain and support the bone and don’t experience the same type of recession.
Having said all of that, bridges are still a preferred option for patients in some unique situations.
When A Dental Bridge Is The Better Choice
- The patient is not a candidate for surgery. If medical reasons prevent a patient from having implant surgery, but they still want to replace a missing tooth with a fixed restoration, a bridge can be an excellent choice.
- The space where an implant could/would go would require multiple surgeries the patient is unwilling to have. In cases where a tooth has been missing for a long time, the bone and tissue may no longer have what it takes to support an implant without one or two preliminary surgeries. Some patients are hesitant to go through all of this and prefer the bridge for simplicity’s sake.
- The adjacent teeth need crowns. Sometimes, making a bridge for a patient seems justifiable when the teeth on either side of the missing tooth need crowns, anyway. Whether a bridge is a good choice in a case like this depends on why the patient needs the crowns in the first place. Does the patient get cavities easily? Do they have trouble keeping their teeth clean? A bridge may or may not be a good choice for the patient. If the risk of cavities is high, an implant might still be a better option, but the patient might still prefer a bridge for the sake of short-term simplicity.
Is A Dental Bridge Right For You?
Bridges were once a workhorse in dentistry for replacing missing teeth, but nowadays, implants have mostly replaced them for predictability, esthetics, and long-term success. However, dental bridges are still useful in certain clinical situations, especially when the patient is not a candidate for surgery or the surgery is determined too difficult by either the doctor or the patient.
Every situation is unique. So, if you are missing teeth and debating between a bridge or implants, come see us. Our highly trained, caring, and experienced dental team will give you honest advice. There are typically many directions any case can go in, and we enjoy helping patients decide what is best for them.
