A dental bridge fills a gap with a fixed, natural-looking tooth that is anchored to the teeth either side of it.

It is one of the most established treatments in dentistry, and it does something very few treatments manage: it gives you a complete smile again in a single visit. Your bridge is designed, made in our laboratory and fitted before you fly home.

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WHY A GAP IS WORTH CLOSING

A missing tooth is not only a cosmetic matter.

The teeth either side of a gap gradually lean into it, and the tooth above or below it can begin to drift down. Over time that changes how your teeth meet, which can make cleaning harder and put uneven load on the teeth that are left.

Chewing changes too. Most people quietly move their chewing to the other side without noticing, and the gap becomes the side of the mouth they stop using.

And then there is the part patients mention most. A gap you can see changes how freely you smile, and most people only realise how much it had been holding them back once it is gone.

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HOW A BRIDGE WORKS

The teeth either side of the gap become the supports. They are shaped and fitted with crowns, and the replacement tooth — dentists call it a pontic — is joined to those crowns as a single piece.

The whole bridge is then cemented in place. It does not come out. You clean it in your mouth, you eat normally with it, and within a few days most people stop thinking about it altogether.

That is the classic three-unit bridge: two supports and one replacement tooth, working as one.

 

THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF BRIDGE

A conventional bridge uses the tooth on each side of the gap. It is the most predictable design and it is what most bridges are. Published long-term data puts survival of conventional bridges at 93.8 per cent at five years (Pjetursson and colleagues, 2007).

A Maryland bridge, also called a resin-bonded bridge, is bonded to the back of the neighbouring tooth with little or no drilling. This is the conservative option — your healthy teeth stay almost completely untouched — and it has become considerably better in recent years. Modern single-wing zirconia designs for a single missing front tooth have reported survival above 94 per cent at ten years in published studies.

We make Maryland bridges, and where your case suits one, we will recommend it over a conventional bridge even though it is the smaller treatment. If a front tooth is missing and the teeth either side are healthy, this is very often the right answer.

A cantilever bridge is supported on one side only, for the situations where there is no suitable tooth on the other side of the gap.

An implant-supported bridge is anchored to implants rather than to your own teeth. It is a different treatment with a different timeline, and it is covered on our [dental implants] page.

Which of these is right for you depends on where the gap is, how healthy the neighbouring teeth are and what you want from the result. You will be told which one we recommend and why, in writing, before you travel.

 

WHAT YOUR NEW TOOTH WILL LOOK LIKE

Like your own, done well.

The replacement tooth is built to match the shape, size and translucency of the teeth around it, and we show you the full shade range — not just the bright end of it — and take your confirmation before anything is made.

You see the finished bridge and approve it in Istanbul, in the mirror, in daylight, before it is cemented. If the shape or the shade needs adjusting, that happens there and then, while you are still with us.

 

HOW LONG IT LASTS, AND WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

A well-made bridge, fitted to healthy teeth and looked after properly, is a long-term restoration. The published five-year survival figure above is for bridges across the board; in practice the two things that decide where your bridge sits in that range are both manageable.

The condition of the supporting teeth. This is why we examine properly and tell you honestly how good a foundation your teeth are, rather than fitting a bridge onto a problem.

Cleaning. Because the three units are joined together, ordinary floss will not pass between them. You clean underneath the replacement tooth once a day with a floss threader, superfloss or a small interdental brush. It takes about a minute, and we show you exactly how before you fly home.

Those two things, plus a check-up with your own dentist once or twice a year, are most of what determines how long your bridge serves you.

 

QUESTIONS PATIENTS ASK

Does it hurt? The teeth are prepared under local anaesthetic and the experience is much like having a crown fitted. Most people describe the days afterwards as a little sensitive rather than painful.

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How many teeth can one bridge replace? Usually one or two in a row, sometimes three, depending on how strong the supporting teeth are. We will tell you honestly if a span is longer than we think is sensible.

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Will anyone be able to tell? In almost every case, no. The replacement tooth is matched to your own and you approve it before it is fitted.

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Can it really be finished in one visit? Yes. Your bridge is designed, made in our laboratory and cemented in place while you are here.

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How do I clean underneath it? With a floss threader, superfloss or a small interdental brush, once a day. We show you before you leave, and it becomes second nature within a week.

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Can I have a bridge if I have gum disease? Not until the gums are treated and stable. Fixed work needs healthy foundations, so we treat the gums first — and we will say so rather than building over a problem.

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What does the NHS charge for a bridge? A bridge falls under NHS Band 3 in England, charged at £332.10 from 1 April 2026 — if a bridge is what is offered to you and you can get an appointment.

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How much is it with you? Please visit our Price List Web Page.

 

SEND US A PHOTOGRAPH

Every gap is different, and so is every pair of teeth either side of one.

Send us photographs and any X-rays you have, and you will get back a written plan — which kind of bridge we recommend, what it will look like, how many days you need and what it costs. Before you book a flight.

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