Do I need one implant per missing tooth?

No — implants at each end of the gap can carry the teeth in between, so fewer implants are needed than teeth replaced. On a longer span there is sometimes an implant in between as well. This is the efficiency of the design, and it is why a run of missing teeth does not mean a run of implants. It usually makes a shorter and less involved course than one implant per gap.

Are my other teeth affected?

No — the neighboring teeth are not touched, which is the main advantage over a traditional bridge. An ordinary bridge gets its support by crowning the sound teeth at each end of the gap. An implant supported bridge gets its support from the bone through the implants instead. Nothing healthy has to be crowned to hold it in place.

No — an implant supported bridge is fixed in place and stays in the mouth. Because it does not come out, eating and speaking feel like your own teeth. If you would prefer a removable option on implants, that is an implant supported denture. Where a whole arch is involved, implant supported dentures and All-on-4 are the options to compare.

What if I do not have enough bone?

If there is not enough bone, a bone graft or, in the upper back jaw, a sinus lift may be needed first. Whether the bridge is possible depends mostly on bone, along with oral health and the position in the mouth. The planning stage uses 3D cone beam imaging to establish how much bone is there. That scan is what decides whether any preparatory work comes before the implants.

Restorative Dentistry

Implant Supported Bridges in Los Angeles

Several teeth in a row, on implants rather than on your own teeth.

Where more than one tooth is missing together, this is often the efficient answer: fewer implants than teeth, nothing healthy crowned, and the whole span fixed in place. Smile LA Downtown Modern Dentistry plans it from a 3D scan.

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A 3D cone beam CT scanner in a treatment room

How it works

Implants are placed at each end of the gap — sometimes with one in between on a longer span — and the bridge is anchored to those instead of to your natural teeth. The teeth in the middle are carried by the implants either side, which is why the number of implants can be smaller than the number of teeth being replaced. That is the efficiency of the design, and it is why a run of missing teeth does not mean a run of implants. The other half of the argument is what it leaves alone. An ordinary bridge buys its support by crowning the sound teeth at each end of the gap; this one buys it from the bone instead, and the neighboring teeth are never touched.

Nothing healthy is crowned

Unlike a traditional bridge, the neighboring teeth are untouched.
Fewer implants than teeth

Which usually makes it a shorter and less involved course than one implant per gap.
Fixed, not removable

It stays in the mouth, so eating and speaking feel like your own teeth.
It preserves bone

Implants transmit load into the jaw, which is what an ordinary bridge cannot do across a gap.

Against the alternatives

How it compares

Against individual implant crowns

Fewer implants, so a shorter course. One crown per implant is the more flexible option where teeth are missing in separate places. See implant retained crowns.
Against an implant supported denture

A bridge is fixed and a denture is removable. Where a whole arch is involved, see implant supported dentures and All-on-4.

What determines whether it is possible

Bone, mostly. Implant success varies with oral health, bone density and the position in the mouth, which is why the planning stage uses 3D cone beam imaging. Where there is not enough bone, a graft or a sinus lift may come first.

Two patients standing with a Smile LA doctor after treatment

The short answer

An implant supported bridge is a fixed bridge that replaces several missing teeth in a row using dental implants as its anchors instead of the natural teeth on either side. Implants are placed at each end of the gap, sometimes with one in between on a longer span, and the bridge is attached to them so they carry the teeth in the middle. It needs fewer implants than teeth replaced, leaves the neighboring teeth untouched, and depends on there being enough bone.

Implant Supported Bridge FAQ

Do I need one implant per missing tooth?: No — implants at each end of the gap can carry the teeth in between, so fewer implants are needed than teeth replaced. On a longer span there is sometimes an implant in between as well. This is the efficiency of the design, and it is why a run of missing teeth does not mean a run of implants. It usually makes a shorter and less involved course than one implant per gap.
Are my other teeth affected?: No — the neighboring teeth are not touched, which is the main advantage over a traditional bridge. An ordinary bridge gets its support by crowning the sound teeth at each end of the gap. An implant supported bridge gets its support from the bone through the implants instead. Nothing healthy has to be crowned to hold it in place.
Is it removable?: No — an implant supported bridge is fixed in place and stays in the mouth. Because it does not come out, eating and speaking feel like your own teeth. If you would prefer a removable option on implants, that is an implant supported denture. Where a whole arch is involved, implant supported dentures and All-on-4 are the options to compare.
What if I do not have enough bone?: If there is not enough bone, a bone graft or, in the upper back jaw, a sinus lift may be needed first. Whether the bridge is possible depends mostly on bone, along with oral health and the position in the mouth. The planning stage uses 3D cone beam imaging to establish how much bone is there. That scan is what decides whether any preparatory work comes before the implants.