What is an implant-supported bridge?
It is a bridge that stands on implants instead of on your own teeth. Implants are placed in the gap, usually one toward each end, and once bone has grown onto them, a row of joined replacement teeth is fixed across the top. The teeth in between rest on the gum, carried by the implants.
It stays in. You brush it and clean under it every day, but it does not come out, and there are no clasps or plate to deal with.
Do you need an implant for every missing tooth?
Not necessarily. An implant for each missing tooth is the closest thing to what you had, and every tooth stands on its own. It also means more implants, more surgery and a higher fee, and sometimes there is not enough bone or room for that many.
Two implants carrying a bridge usually means less surgery and a lower fee, and it can work where the bone will only take an implant in certain places. The trade-off is that the teeth are joined. You clean under the bridge rather than between each tooth, and a problem with one implant affects the whole bridge.
Which suits you depends on how many teeth are missing, where they are, and the bone underneath. We will show you what we see and explain what we would do in your place.
Implant bridge or partial denture?
A partial denture replaces missing teeth on a plate that clips to the teeth you have left. It needs no surgery, it costs less, and for some people it is the right answer, particularly when teeth are missing in several places around the mouth.
The difference is in living with it. A partial comes out to be cleaned, can shift when you chew, and rests on the gum, so the bone beneath it keeps shrinking. An implant bridge stays put and loads the bone where the implants sit.
A regular bridge is the other option people ask about. It hangs the replacement teeth off natural teeth at each end, which have to be shaped for crowns. Across a longer gap that asks a lot of two teeth, which is where implants can take the load instead.
What does the treatment involve?
If a tooth in the gap still has to come out, that is built into the plan and into your estimate. After that, the steps are the same as for a single tooth implant, done in more than one place:
- Planning. We check the bone along the gap, and where the nerve and sinus sit, before anything is placed.
- Placement. The implants go in under local anesthetic. Most people say the day after feels like having a tooth pulled.
- Healing. Several months while bone fuses to the implants. If the gap shows when you smile, ask about a temporary replacement for the meantime.
- The bridge. Fitted to the implants, matched in shape and shade to the teeth around it, and adjusted until your bite feels right.
How do you clean under an implant bridge?
Because the teeth are joined, floss cannot slip between them from the top. You clean underneath instead, with a floss threader or a water flosser, and we will show you how.
Keep up your check-ups and cleanings as well. The gum around an implant can become inflamed and lose bone much as it can around a tooth, and that bone is what holds the bridge up.
What does an implant bridge cost?
The fee depends on the number of implants, the length of the bridge and anything needed first, so you get a written estimate before anything is scheduled. In general, two implants and a bridge cost less than an implant for every tooth, and more than a partial denture.
Dental plans differ a great deal on implants, and some will not pay to replace teeth that were already missing when you joined. For larger treatment we can send the insurer a pre-treatment estimate first. See insurance for the plans we work with, or the Virginia Dental Club if you have no dental insurance.
Questions patients ask
Is an implant-supported bridge removable?
No. It is fixed to the implants and stays in when you eat, sleep and brush. You clean under it rather than taking it out.
How many implants does a bridge need?
Often two, one toward each end of the gap, though it depends on how long the gap is and where the bone allows. We will tell you what yours needs once we have looked at the bone.
Does getting an implant bridge hurt?
The implants go in under local anesthetic, so the area is numb while we work. Most people take an ordinary painkiller for a day or two afterward.
How long does an implant bridge take?
Months rather than weeks, because bone has to fuse to the implants before the bridge can go on. If the gap shows, ask about a temporary replacement while it heals.
Can I have an implant bridge if I have gum disease?
Not until the gum disease is treated. The same process that loosens teeth will loosen implants, so the gums come first.