Bridges

When a tooth is lost due to trauma or an irreparable damage (large decay, poor gum condition), the missing tooth/teeth may be successfully replaced by placing a bridge that spans the involved area.

A dental bridge conceptual image
For the most part nowadays, when someone refers to a “dental bridge” they are referring to a bridge that doesn’t come out of their mouth. However, there are bridges which are removable, though commonly performed not as often cause they are either not very comfortable or are easily lost.

How does a dental bridge work? A bridge most often utilizes the adjacent teeth on both sides of the area by placing a crown on them and anchoring the missing tooth/teeth to those crowns. It takes about 3-4 weeks for the laboratory to fabricate the permanent bridge. In the interim, there is either a temporary bridge in place or temporary crowns.

Lower jaw with missing tooth A PFM Bridge in place