What is a dental bridge?

Dental bridges are designed to replace one or a few missing teeth by utilizing adjacent teeth as support. The supporting teeth at both ends, also called abutment teeth, are prepared to receive crowns. The fake tooth/teeth in between are hold in place by permanently connecting to the crowns on the abutment teeth. The dental bridge is a highly predictable procedure and has been the treatment of choice for decades. A dental bridge is indicated as long as the abutment teeth are strong enough to support the bridge. It has minimum requirement for the bone or soft tissue conditions on the site of missing tooth/teeth. It is relatively fast and typically takes 2 dental appointments in about 2 weeks.

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Dental bridge or implant?

The major disadvantage of dental bridges, compared to dental implants, is that it needs to grind the abutment teeth. If great oral hygiene is not there, the abutment teeth are at higher risk for decay and bridge failure may subsequently occur. On contrary, there is no need to cut adjacent teeth with dental implants.

However, dental bridges may be the better option when

1. The site of missing tooth/teeth does not have sufficient bone for implant placement. Bone grafting may solve the problem but it also means higher costs and a prolonged period of time of treatment.
2. The site of missing tooth/teeth is too close to a major nerve/blood vessel.
3. It is not safe to place implants due to medical conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes, history of radiotherapy, use of blood thinner etc.
4. The abutment teeth need crowns anyway, such as teeth with large filling, fracture or root canal treatment.

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The procedure

The dental bridge procedure is much like the crown procedure.
First appointment (crown preparation for abutment teeth): takes about 1.5 hours

1. Doctor first review your medical history and make sure the procedure is safe for you.
   
2. Doctor then anesthetize the abutment teeth and make sure you are completely pain-free during the whole procedure.
3. The abutment teeth are carefully reduced by a thin layer with a high-speed dental bur to make space for the future crown. Tooth buildup may be necessary if the abutment teeth
   
4. Final impression of the prepared abutment teeth is taken and sent to a quality dental lab to fabricate the bridge for you. The color of the bridge is also selected at this point.
5. A temporary bridge is made for you chair-side and cemented with a temporary dental glue.

Second appointment (bridge delivery): takes about 30 minutes

1. Doctor removes the temporary bridge and cleans the abutment teeth. You typically do not need a shot at this appointment.
2. The final bridge is tried in and some minor adjustments may be needed to completely seat the bridge.
3. An x-ray is taken to make sure the bridge is fully seated.
4. The bridge is then cemented with a strong dental glue.

Our quality and price

​Please give us a call at (858) 275-6507 about our most updated prices for dental bridges. We work with only the most reputable dental laboratories that utilize the highest quality materials and can proudly assure you that our quality is second to none.

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