A bridge is a dental treatment that uses multiple crowns connected together in order to replace a missing tooth. At the minimum, a bridge includes two crowns on either side of a “fake” tooth called a pontic. Bridges are classified according to the number of units, which just means the number of teeth they cover. The most common is a three-unit bridge, which uses two teeth as anchors for one replacement tooth.

The materials of a bridge are the same as those available for crowns. Because a bridge uses connections between teeth, it requires some changes to your oral hygiene routine in order to keep the anchor teeth healthy. A bridge is a relatively quick way to replace a missing tooth, requiring only a few weeks of lab time. Bridges are permanently cemented onto the anchor teeth; they are not removable by the patient. A bridge is an alternative tooth replacement option to a dental implant.