I need dental implants to replace a dental bridge

[Jane2009]

Hi

I have a four tooth dental bridge that has two false teeth and 2 natural teeth holding the bridge. The dental bridge has is almost 20 years old and the porcelain teeth on it are now discoloured, so I was hoping to get it replaced.

When this bridge was made, there was no option of implants given to me but now I think I would prefer to have dental implants instead of a new bridge because I find cleaning very difficult with the bridge.

Can you tell me how many implants I would need to replace my two missing teeth and what would happen to the teeth that are currently holding the bridge?

[Dr Vahid Motahar]

Hi,

Thank you for your question.

If the natural teeth that are holding your bridge are sound and safe, then simply once the bridge is removed they may be re-crowned with new individual crowns and protected. In some cases, as cost cutting measure, some patients ask to segment the bridge and recement the crowns on the natural teeth. This is usually not advisable as the fit of the crowns is usually not ideal. Also in a lot of cases the porcelain of the crown is damaged and therefore aesthetically may not be acceptable. So we suggest new crowns on the natural teeth once the bridge is removed.

To replace the missing teeth, if 2 teeth are missing then we suggest 2 implants to replace them. Some practitioners, again as cost cutting measure, may suggest to place 1 implant in the gap supporting a 2 unit bridge. In some exceptional cases this may be a possibility but as rule of thumb in our clinic we suggest 1 implant maximum to support one and half tooth and not 2 teeth. Therefore we suggest 2 implants in the gap to support 2 crowns.