Restorative Dentistry
Traditional Dental Bridges in Los Angeles
Fixed in place, and finished in a matter of weeks rather than months.
The standard answer to a single missing tooth with sound teeth either side of it. Smile LA Downtown Modern Dentistry makes them from digital impressions, matched to the teeth they sit between.
How it works
How a traditional bridge works
The teeth either side of the gap are prepared to take crowns. The replacement tooth is joined to those two crowns as a single piece, and the whole unit is cemented into place. It does not come out, you clean around it rather than soaking it overnight, and it restores chewing on that side immediately. It is the standard answer to a single missing tooth for good reasons: it is fixed, it is finished in a matter of weeks rather than months, and it needs no surgery and no healing period before the tooth is back. What it asks for in exchange is real, and it is set out below rather than left to be discovered at the appointment.
The trade-off
What it asks of the neighboring teeth
This is the honest trade-off, and it is the reason implants exist.
- They have to be crowned Which means removing healthy enamel from two teeth that had nothing wrong with them, to replace a third.
- They carry the load The bite force of the missing tooth is transferred to them.
- Where they already need crowns The calculus changes completely — if both neighbors are heavily filled or already crowned, a bridge costs you nothing extra and is often the better choice.
An implant does not require altering the healthy teeth either side of the gap, which is its main advantage over this. An implant supported bridge combines the two.
The other designs
Where there is a sound tooth on only one side of the gap, a cantilever bridge is the option. Where you want to avoid crowning the neighbors, a Maryland bridge bonds to the back of them instead. See crowns and bridges for the full comparison.
The short answer
A traditional bridge is a fixed restoration that replaces a missing tooth with a replacement tooth held by crowns on the sound teeth either side of the gap. The neighboring teeth are prepared to take crowns, the replacement tooth is joined to those crowns as a single piece made from digital impressions, and the whole unit is cemented into place. It restores chewing without surgery or a healing period and is finished in weeks rather than months, at the cost of removing enamel from the supporting teeth.
Traditional Bridges FAQ
- Does a bridge come out at night?
- No, a traditional bridge does not come out at night because it is cemented in place. You clean around it rather than removing it or soaking it overnight. The replacement tooth and the crowns either side are joined as a single piece, so the whole unit stays fixed. That is the main practical difference from a removable denture.
- Do the teeth either side need crowns?
- Yes, the teeth either side of the gap need crowns, because that is how a traditional bridge is held. Preparing them means removing healthy enamel from two teeth to replace a third, and those teeth then carry the bite force of the missing one. That trade-off is the main argument for an implant, which does not require altering the neighboring teeth. Where you want to avoid crowning them, a Maryland bridge bonds to the back of the teeth instead.
- When is a bridge better than an implant?
- A bridge can be the better choice when the neighboring teeth already need crowns anyway, when there is not enough bone for an implant, or when you want the gap closed sooner. If both neighbors are heavily filled or already crowned, a bridge costs you nothing extra in healthy enamel. A bridge also needs no surgery and no healing period, and it is finished in a matter of weeks rather than months. Which option suits your mouth depends on the condition of those teeth and the bone, and is discussed at the consultation.
- How is it made?
- A traditional bridge is made from digital impressions and matched to the color and shape of the teeth it sits between. The teeth either side of the gap are first prepared to take crowns. The replacement tooth is then joined to those crowns as a single piece. The finished unit is cemented into place, restoring chewing on that side.
