When a tooth has been lost and there are healthy teeth on both sides of the newly missing tooth or teeth, then a fixed bridge is a treatment option.  The other options are implants or a partial denture.

            

The procedure for having a fixed bridge made is essentially the same as having a crown made except that a fixed bridge involves at least two supporting teeth.  What does cause confusion is the amount of teeth needed for a fixed bridge.  To replace one missing tooth requires a three tooth bridge.  This is because the teeth on both sides of the missing tooth must be part of the bridge to provide support.

Fixed bridges are typically made from porcelain with a metal sub-structure and they require at least two appointments.  The first appointment is used to prepare and temporize the teeth.  The second appointment is the delivery appointment to adjust and cement the fixed bridge in place.  Occasionally a third appointment is needed if the span of the bridge is long and the supporting framework for the bridge needs to be tried in before the porcelain is applied to the framework.

Even though all of the teeth of the bridge are physically connected, the final result makes it look like the teeth are individual and natural.
 

Please see our Crowns Gallery, which contains some examples of bridges, to see the type of treatment we can provide for you.

Implant Option
 
Implants are an option in some cases.  There needs to be sufficient bone or, if there is not enough bone present, we can possibly add more bone through grafting.  Please read our Implants page and visit our Implants Gallery for more information.

Instead of having a fixed bridge, an implant is an option in many cases.  In the case above, one implant is placed.  This means the adjacent teeth do not need to be part of the treatment plan.

After the implant is placed and the bone around them is allowed to heal,  a porcelain tooth is attached to the implant.  This stays in the mouth and is only removable by us in case any maintenance has to be performed.