Dental bridges are used to replace missing teeth and are often an option when a patient has strong teeth in front of and behind an empty space. One advantage of a dental bridge is that you can use it to easily replace missing teeth, and with proper home care, it can last for many, many years. Dental bridges are strong, esthetic, and come in a variety of materials, including natural-looking ceramics.
The main disadvantage of a dental bridge is that to fabricate a dental bridge, you need to crown (or cap) the teeth in front of and behind the empty space. Depending upon the width of the space, you may need to crown more than one of the adjacent (abutment) teeth.
If the adjacent teeth have already had extensive dental work (crowns or large fillings), we are less concerned about making a bridge. But when the adjacent teeth are healthy (with small fillings or no restorations), we try to avoid cutting those teeth for bridges. In that case, we prefer to use dental implants as a more conservative approach.
While there is nothing wrong with drilling teeth for crowns for a bridge, there are other replacement options as well. Other options include dental implants and partial dentures. The most common choice for replacing missing teeth is to restore them with dental implants. If you have missing teeth but are not a candidate for dental implants and don't have anchor teeth strong enough to hold a bridge, don't despair! A removable prosthesis is a good option to restore your smile and your ability to chew.
