How Many Teeth Does an Implant Supported Bridge Have?
An implant supported bridge can replace a few missing teeth or many missing teeth, as long as those missing teeth are all in a row. Dentists can use anywhere from one to eight implants to support as few as two replacement teeth or as many as 14. When planning your implant supported bridge treatment, your dentist will determine how many implants are needed to sufficiently support the bridge and distribute the forces of biting and chewing evenly within the jaw. In general, it takes two implants to replace three or four teeth, and, in some cases, as few as four implants can replace an entire row of teeth.
The simplest and most common type of Implant Supported Bridge replaces three or four teeth with two implants, one placed at either end of the gap created by the missing teeth. After these implants have healed and fused with the bone that will continue to support them for the long term, a bridge containing two crowns and one or two additional teeth is affixed to the implants. There are other designs available for implant supported bridges; some rely on two implants immediately next to each other to support a row of teeth, which has its mechanical drawbacks but might be the best option in tighter areas of the mouth or when the bone lacks sufficient density to support multiple implants.
Other types of bridges, like the cantilever bridge, rely on one implant to support two teeth that are next to each other. A front teeth implant bridge uses two implants to support an implant bridge that includes four teeth; as the name implies, these are used in the front of the mouth, which means that highly natural-looking, metal-free materials like zirconia are often recommended. There are also implant supported bridges that contain a full row of upper or lower teeth and can be held in the mouth and stabilized with as few as four or six dental implants. These procedures are complicated and can get expensive, but they’re invariably more comfortable and convenient than their removable counterparts, and they’re also less expensive than traditional dental implants that have a one-to-one ratio between an implant and a dental crown.
Implant supported bridges can be designed in a variety of different arrangements, some of which use more dental implants than others. Regardless of the number of implants needed for any specific treatment, implant supported bridges are more stable and more durable than their removable or temporary counterparts. They’re easy to clean, and, while the gum tissue and surrounding oral tissue must be kept clean to avoid gum disease, the prosthetic teeth themselves are resistant to decay and easy to clean.
Dental implants are also resistant to fracture and highly supportive of the forces of chewing and biting, and they aren’t susceptible to tooth sensitivity like the natural teeth are. For some patients, dental implants aren’t recommended, though there are often auxiliary treatments that can help prepare the mouth to successfully support dental implants. Once the oral health and overall health are stabilized, an implant supported bridge, with few replacement teeth or many, can be a great option for patients who are looking to replace more than one tooth in a row.
