What is a dental bridge, and when is it the right choice?

If you have lost a tooth, someone has probably mentioned a dental bridge. So what is a dental bridge, exactly? It is a false tooth, or a row of false teeth, fixed to the real teeth next to the gap. It stays in all the time, you clean it like your own teeth, and nobody can see where the natural teeth end and the bridge begins. It is a simple idea, and it has been used for well over a century. The question is not whether bridges work. They do. The question is whether a bridge is the right answer for your gap, compared with an implant or a partial denture.

How a bridge works

A bridge has two parts. The false tooth that sits in the gap is called the pontic. The parts that hold it are called retainers, and they attach to the supporting teeth, known as abutments. In the most common design the retainers are full crowns, so a three-unit bridge for one missing tooth is really two crowns with a false tooth joined between them, made as one piece and cemented in place.

The pontic rests lightly on the gum. It does not have a root, so the bite force on it is carried through the crowns into the supporting teeth. That is the key point to understand: a bridge asks the teeth beside the gap to do the work of the missing tooth as well as their own.

The main types of bridge

Conventional bridges

This is what most people picture. The dentist shapes the teeth either side of the gap, takes a scan or impression, and a laboratory makes a bridge that fits over them. At our clinic, bridges are normally made in zirconia, a strong metal-free ceramic, or in E-max for some front-tooth cases. Each unit of a zirconia bridge costs the same as a zirconia crown, £150 per unit, so a three-unit bridge is three units.

Cantilever bridges

Here the false tooth is attached on one side only. It needs less preparation, but the supporting tooth acts like a lever, so cantilevers are used carefully and mostly for lighter loads.

Adhesive bridges

An adhesive bridge has a false tooth with a small wing that is bonded to the inside surface of a neighbouring tooth. There is little or no drilling. A systematic review in Clinical Oral Implants Research looked at resin-bonded bridges followed for at least five years and found good survival, with debonding (the wing coming loose) as the most common problem. When that happens it can often be re-bonded. They suit front teeth with a light bite better than back teeth.

Implant bridges

When three or four teeth in a row are missing, two implants can carry a bridge across the gap. No natural teeth are touched. This needs two trips, because the implants need about 3 months to heal in the lower jaw and 4 to 6 months in the upper. See our dental implants page for how that works.

What the research says about how long bridges last

A large systematic review in Dental Materials pooled studies on tooth-supported bridges and estimated five-year survival rates of around 94% for metal-ceramic bridges and around 90% for zirconia bridges. The authors noted that zirconia bridges had more chipping of the outer porcelain layer and more decay in the supporting teeth than metal-ceramic ones in the studies they reviewed. Many of those studies looked at older layered zirconia; solid (monolithic) zirconia, which is widely used today, does not have a separate porcelain layer to chip.

The figures tell you something useful: bridges usually last many years, and when they fail, it is very often the supporting teeth that cause the problem, not the bridge itself. Decay at the edge of a crown, gum disease or a root fracture in a supporting tooth can bring the whole bridge down.

When a bridge is a good choice

• The teeth either side of the gap already have large fillings or old crowns and would benefit from new crowns anyway.
• There is not enough bone for an implant and you would rather not have a bone graft.
• You want the gap filled in one trip rather than two.
• Your health makes implant surgery less suitable, for example certain medicines or conditions your doctor advises on.
• For a front tooth with healthy neighbours, an adhesive bridge can be a gentle option.

When an implant is usually better

If the teeth either side of the gap are healthy and have never been filled, a conventional bridge means cutting down two good teeth to replace one. That enamel never comes back, and those teeth will need crowns for the rest of your life. In that situation our dentists usually suggest a single implant, which stands on its own and leaves the neighbours alone. The Oral Health Foundation advises talking through the benefits, risks and alternatives with your dentist before choosing implants, and that is how we approach it too: neither option is always right.

An implant also keeps load on the jawbone where the tooth was. After any extraction the jawbone shrinks; a systematic review in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology measured an average loss of about 2.5 to 3.6 mm in ridge width. Under a bridge that bone is not loaded again, which can leave a small hollow under the false tooth over time. Our article on why teeth move after tooth loss explains what happens to the bone and the nearby teeth when a gap is left.

A single implant with a zirconia crown is £450 in total at our clinic. A three-unit zirconia bridge is three units at £150 each. The prices are close, so the decision should come down to your teeth, not the bill.

What having a bridge involves

1. Assessment We look at your X-ray or photos before you travel and send a preliminary plan. On day one in Antalya, a full exam and 3D CBCT scan confirm the supporting teeth are sound.
2. Preparation Under local anaesthetic, the supporting teeth are shaped and scanned with an intraoral scanner. You leave with a temporary bridge.
3. Try-in The bridge is checked for fit, bite and colour, and adjusted if needed.
4. Fitting The final bridge is cemented, the bite is checked again, and you are shown how to clean under it.

The whole process for a tooth-supported bridge usually fits into one trip of about 5 to 7 days. Your crowns and bridges carry our written 5-year guarantee, provided you keep up hygiene and check-ups.

Living with a bridge

A bridge feels like your own teeth within a few days. The one habit to learn is cleaning under the pontic. Food and plaque collect in the space between the false tooth and the gum, and that plaque is what causes decay and gum disease in the supporting teeth. Use a floss threader, a bridge floss with a stiff end, or a small interdental brush every day. See your own dentist and hygienist at home regularly so problems are caught early.

If you grind your teeth, ask about a night guard. Grinding puts heavy stress on bridges, particularly cantilevers.

The short version

A dental bridge is a reliable, fixed way to replace one or a few teeth using the teeth next to the gap. It makes most sense when those teeth need crowns anyway. When they are healthy, an implant is often kinder to them. The right answer depends on what the X-ray and an exam show, which is why we look before we recommend.

If you are weighing up a bridge, send us a recent X-ray or a few photos through our contact page or on WhatsApp. One of our dentists will tell you which options suit your gap and send a written plan with an itemised price. You can also read more on our crowns page.

Common questions

Is a dental bridge permanent?

It is fixed, meaning you cannot take it out, and it is cemented in place. It is not permanent in the sense of lasting forever. Like any crown, a bridge may need replacing after many years, often because of decay or gum problems around the supporting teeth.

Does a bridge damage the teeth next to the gap?

A conventional bridge needs the neighbouring teeth to be shaped for crowns, which removes enamel and cannot be undone. An adhesive (resin-bonded) bridge needs little or no drilling. That is why we look at the condition of those teeth before suggesting a bridge.

How do I clean under a bridge?

You cannot floss between the false tooth and its neighbours in the usual way. Floss threaders, special bridge floss or small interdental brushes let you clean under the pontic. We show you how before you fly home.

How long does it take to make a bridge?

A tooth-supported bridge is usually made in one trip of about 5 to 7 days. An implant-supported bridge needs two trips, because the implants have to heal first.

Is a bridge guaranteed?

Yes. Crowns and bridges made at our clinic carry a written 5-year guarantee. See our guarantee page for the terms.

Sources

1. Oral Health Foundation: Bridges
2. Sailer et al. (2015), Dental Materials: All-ceramic or metal-ceramic tooth-supported fixed dental prostheses? Part II: Multiple-unit FDPs
3. Thoma et al. (2017), Clinical Oral Implants Research: Survival and complication rates of resin-bonded fixed dental prostheses after at least 5 years
4. Oral Health Foundation: Dental implants
5. Couso-Queiruga et al. (2021), Journal of Clinical Periodontology: Post-extraction dimensional changes, a systematic review

Checked October 2026. Where we give our own view as a clinic, we say so.