Erika Layland9 years ago
★★★★★
Matthews Family Dental is great! My kids have gotten BRACES from Dr. Matthews and their smiles are looking great!
A dental bridge permanently closes the gap left by a missing tooth — restoring your bite, protecting adjacent teeth from shifting, and giving you a natural-looking result that’s fixed in place and easy to care for.
A dental bridge is a specialized restoration comprised of a pontic (the custom artificial replacement tooth) anchored firmly in space by dental crowns fitted precisely over the healthy adjacent teeth (known as abutments). Replacing a missing tooth matters far beyond simple surface-level aesthetics. Leaving an open space allows neighboring teeth to progressively drift out of line, disrupting your healthy bite balance, triggering jaw joint strain, and accelerating local bone loss. A dental bridge is permanently cemented into position — it functions, brushes, and aligns just like your natural teeth.
Appointment Span: 2 visits (preparation & delivery)
Timeline Scope: 2–3 weeks total fabrication turnaround
Spanning Capacity: Replaces 1–3 consecutive missing teeth
The Restorative Spectrum
Both dental bridges and single implants are excellent choices for tooth replacement. The correct choice depends heavily on your unique jawbone support, target timeline, budget parameters, and the general condition of neighboring teeth.
Not entirely sure which option suits you? We thoroughly evaluate both solutions during every missing tooth assessment. Our office guides you toward a custom plan fitted explicitly to your mouth, timeline, and personal wellness goals rather than pushing a default choice.
Restoration Architectures
The most common option. Anchor crowns are fitted directly onto the healthy adjacent teeth on both sides of the gap to suspend the replacement pontic tooth firmly between them. Best for 1–3 missing teeth in a row.
Anchored securely to only one natural support tooth next to the missing space. Typically used when there is only one healthy anchor tooth available. Best for lower-stress areas like front teeth.
A highly conservative approach. The replacement pontic tooth is supported by discrete resin-bonded metal or porcelain structural wings attached to the hidden backs of adjacent teeth, avoiding extensive crown trimming.
Ideal for multiple missing teeth in a row. Titanium implant posts span both ends of the empty space to securely anchor the porcelain bridge framework without altering any remaining natural teeth.
Clinical Workflow
The support teeth on either side of the empty gap are gently reshaped to accommodate the custom anchor crowns. Local anesthesia ensures you stay completely comfortable throughout.
High-precision digital scans or impressions are captured and sent to our laboratory. We place a lifelike temporary tooth bridge to protect your teeth and preserve your smile while your final bridge is crafted.
About 2–3 weeks later, your custom final bridge is tried in. We carefully verify your bite alignment and fit, make any necessary micro-adjustments, and permanently cement the bridge into place.
We craft restorations using premium porcelain and zirconia, carefully matched to the precise shade, anatomy, and translucent depth of your surrounding teeth.
We use state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging to ensure your bridge fits flawlessly against your gum line, creating a smooth, comfortable surface that is easy to keep clean.
If an implant is a better long-term solution for your health, we will tell you. We focus on providing the right care for your unique smile, never just the quickest fix.
Matthews Family Dental is great! My kids have gotten BRACES from Dr. Matthews and their smiles are looking great!
My husband, our daughter, and I have always came here when we were still residing in Whitehall, WI. Dr. Matthews have always…
Great professional service and really nice people! I would recommend it to my friends.
Had my braces done here, and it turned out great. Very nice office and staff makes me feel like I'm appreciated. Even…
My family and I, have been seeing, Dr Matthew's and his AMAZING staff for the last 15 years PLUS… I have seen…
I'm from out of town. I had a dental issue that needed to be taken care of ASAP. I called Dr. Matthews…
Been going to Dr. Matthews for a few years and will continue going back, despite having to drive over an hour. Tried…
I needed an emergency tooth extraction and Dr. Mathews was able to get me in within a couple of hours. The office…
Dr. Mattews and his staff always give me the best treatment at his office! They got me in for my routine cleaning…
excellent. Helped in a pinch.
Truly this is one of the best dental offices I’ve ever been to. I moved to the area and had been looking…
Always very helpful and informative. They take Ashley's insurance, and they definitely do good work.
With proper home hygiene and regular professional checkups, a dental bridge typically lasts between 10 to 15 years. Longevity depends significantly on the health of the surrounding anchor teeth, your bite forces, and your daily oral care habits.
No. The preparation appointment is completed under comfortable local anesthesia — you will feel pressure but no pain. Some mild, temporary sensitivity in the treated teeth for a few days after care is completely normal and fades quickly.
Because a bridge is connected in a single piece, you cannot floss straight down between the teeth. You will need to slide floss underneath the artificial pontic tooth using a specialized floss threader or a water flosser. Our clinical team demonstrates this technique and shows you the best tools to use during your delivery visit.
Most dental plans cover bridges as a major restorative service, typically paying between 50% to 80% of the cost after your deductible is met. We directly verify your coverage limits and provide a clear, detailed cost estimate before your treatment begins.
It depends on your unique situation. If the adjacent teeth are perfectly healthy, a dental implant is often the better long-term investment because it leaves those teeth untouched. However, if the neighboring teeth are already heavily filled or need crowns, a bridge is a highly efficient choice that restores the entire area at once.
The premium structural alternative to bridges — a standalone choice that replaces the tooth root without involving adjacent teeth.
Individual full-coverage restorations crafted with the exact same high-strength ceramics and precision as our bridge anchors.
If a compromised tooth needs to be removed, we can discuss custom bridge replacement steps during that same initial visit.
Open for Appointments
Schedule your visit with our friendly dental team today.