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Implant-supported bridge
An implant-supported bridge is one option for adjacent missing teeth. The number and position of implants are planned using your examination and imaging.
When several neighbouring teeth are missing, a bridge on fewer implants can be used instead of one implant per tooth. Healthy neighbouring teeth are not ground down, and the load is shared between the implants.
Key facts
- When it is considered
- When 2–4 adjacent teeth are missing
- Typical plan
- Two implants for three teeth, with a suspended middle tooth
- Planning
- Design of the future teeth + 3D CBCT
- Hygiene
- Super floss, interdental brushes or a water flosser under the bridge
- Price
- Usually lower than one implant per tooth; exact amount after examination and 3D CBCT
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
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It restores several neighbouring teeth with a single structure resting on implants. For example, when three teeth are missing, implants are placed at the two end positions and the middle tooth is suspended between them (a pontic). This means one implant and one surgical site fewer. Neighbouring natural teeth are not ground down, because the bridge rests on the implants rather than on them.
There is no universal answer. Separate crowns are easier for cleaning, repairs and appearance in the front area, but they need enough bone and space under every tooth and cost more. A bridge needs less surgery, spreads the load across its supports and is possible even when there is little bone in the middle section. The choice is made after examination and 3D planning.
A three-unit bridge on two implants in the back of the mouth has been used for many years, and reviews report high implant survival with joined restorations. The condition is that the implants are of suitable length and correctly positioned. When four teeth are missing, 2–3 implants are usually planned, depending on space, bone and the condition of the opposing teeth.
With a special floss that threads under the bridge (super floss), interdental brushes or a water flosser. This should be demonstrated in practice when the prosthesis is fitted. For a patient who is not ready to clean under a bridge, separate crowns make long-term care easier, so your hygiene habits are taken into account at the planning stage.
In a conventional bridge the healthy teeth on both sides of the gap are ground down and used as supports, which cannot be undone. In addition, the bone under the missing tooth receives no load and keeps shrinking. With an implant-supported bridge the neighbouring teeth are left untouched and chewing forces are transferred to the bone through the implants.
A bridge is one block: if one part has a problem, the whole structure has to be removed, and splitting joined crowns means making new ones. That is why the design is decided in advance. Whether the structure is screw-retained or cemented also affects how easily it can be repaired, and this is discussed during planning.
Sometimes there is not enough space or bone for a third implant, and one tooth is attached to the side of two implants. A short cantilever is a workable option when properly planned, whereas a long cantilever causes more technical problems. In patients who clench or grind their teeth (bruxism), a cantilever is replaced with an additional implant where possible.
STEP BY STEP
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STEP 01 / 04
Meet and examine
At your first visit, we discuss your health, expectations and questions. An examination and, when needed, 3D imaging help us assess your starting point.
We listen
We listen to your wishes and assess your oral health.
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YOUR FIRST STEP
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