Implant or dental bridge

Both replace a missing tooth with a fixed restoration that you don't take out. The difference is what it rests on.

A dental implant is an artificial titanium root placed in the bone, with a crown fitted on top. The new tooth stands on its own, without touching the teeth beside it.

A dental bridge uses the neighbouring teeth as supports: each gets a crown, and the missing tooth is held between them. No surgery on the bone is needed.

There is a third option, a removable denture, which you take out. It suits especially when several teeth are missing, or as a stop-gap. We compare it at the consultation too, so you see every option, not just two. Each has a different effect on the neighbouring teeth, a different treatment time and different care.

This is the biggest difference. For a bridge, the teeth next to the gap are reshaped to take crowns. If they are healthy, that means removing sound enamel. If they already have large fillings or old crowns, reshaping matters less, and a bridge becomes a very reasonable choice.

An implant leaves the neighbouring teeth untouched. It also loads the bone where the tooth is missing, so the bone shrinks less than under a bridge.

Sometimes the bone makes the choice: if there isn't enough and you don't want a graft, a bridge remains a good option, with no surgery.

A bridge usually takes a few visits over a few weeks: preparing the teeth, the impression, a try-in and cementing. You wear a temporary bridge in the meantime.

An implant takes more patience. Placing it takes under an hour, but healing into the bone usually takes three to six months, and only then is the crown fitted. If a bone graft is needed first, it takes longer. You get every stage in your written plan, waiting times included.

Both need careful brushing and daily cleaning between the teeth. Under a bridge, the space beneath the false tooth is cleaned with special floss or interdental brushes; plaque left there can cause decay or gum problems on the supporting teeth.

Around an implant, the gum must be kept healthy, just as around a natural tooth. Regular check-ups and professional cleans keep either restoration going for many years.

There is no option that is right for everyone. At the consultation we compare them on your X-ray, with the strengths and limits of each, and the decision is yours. For more on each treatment, see Dental implants and Crowns, bridges and dentures.