Restorative dentistry in the south of Tenerife
A bridge fills the gap by resting on the neighbouring teeth — and that has a cost that almost no budget mentions: We need to carve them. On this page we tell you how much tooth is actually filed down, when the bridge is the best option, when the implant is, and a third way that almost no one offers.
Treatments with flexible financing — detailed conditions in writing at the clinic.
Quick summary
A bridge does not hold up on its own. It rests on the teeth remaining on either side of the gap: they are the abutment teeth, and they are carved to receive a crown each. Between them goes the Pontic, the tooth that fills the gap. The pontic has no root — it rests on the gum, and its load is distributed by the abutments, which from that day on chew for three.
The three pieces are joined in a single ceramic or porcelain-fused-to-metal block, fixed with cement: it is not removed, it does not move, and it is used like one's own teeth. That is why the bridge has been a reasonable solution for decades—and for this very reason, it is worth understanding well what it requires in return, which is the subject of the next section.
One more thing that almost nobody talks about: beneath the pontic, the bone of the missing tooth it continues to reabsorb over the years —a bridge does not preserve it, because it does not bear the load. Over time, a small space may appear between the pontic and the gum. It is not a failure of the bridge: it is the bone, which changes. If you just lost the tooth or are about to an extraction, that is the best time to plan the gap.
What sets us apart
Every clinic will tell you that "adjacent teeth are shaved down". Very few tell you by how much. The classic reference measured it: a full crown preparation removes around two-thirds of the tooth crown Times two.
If your two neighbours are healthy and intact, that is the real price of the bridge, and we believe you have the right to know it before deciding — not after. The same study measured the alternative: the fin of a adhesive bridge It ranges from 3 to 30 %. And a implant It doesn't affect the neighbours at all.
Let no one read here a crusade against the bridge: further down you will see the cases in which it is, clearly, the best option. What we do not do is present it as free for your teeth when it is not. It is the same logic of the conservative ladder What we apply to crowns: every millimetre of natural tooth counts, and only what is necessary is sacrificed.
The brochures compare bridges and implants. We add the third column, because sometimes the honest answer is "still nothing".
| Appearance | Fixed bridge | Implant | Wait (keeping watch) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjacent teeth | They are prepared (~2/3 of each crown) | They are not touched | They are not touched |
| Requires surgery | No | Yes, with your bone and health requirements | No |
| Time to the fixed tooth | Weeks | Months, if integration is required | — |
| The bone in the gap | It continues to resorb under the pontic | The implant loads and preserves it better | It is reabsorbed; the neighbours can lean |
| 10-year data | ~90 % survival (Tan 2004) | High survival, but with biological or technical complications in around a third of cases (Pjetursson 2012) | It depends on the case: it requires revisions |
| When it makes sense | Damaged abutments; surgery not viable; short timeframes | Healthy neighbours; sufficient bone | Second molars with stable bite, specific cases |
Regarding the third column, let's be clear: it doesn't work for just any gap. But for a missing second molar with a stable bite and no shifting teeth, watchful waiting is a defensible plan — and we prefer to tell you this than to sell you something you don't need. It gets checked at every cleaning and, if anything changes, we take action.
There is a case where the bridge loses its hidden cost all at once: when the neighbouring teeth needed a crown anyway. Large fillings that are repaired over and over again, an old unprotected root canal, an old crown that needs to be replaced. In those cases, the preparation does not take away anything you would not have lost anyway — and the bridge solves three problems with a single treatment, without surgery and in a few weeks.
The bridge also wins when the implant is not a good idea in your specific case: insufficient bone if you prefer to avoid a graft, in medical situations where surgery is not recommended, or simply with a schedule where waiting months for implant integration is not feasible. And in patients who have had a bridge that has worked well for years, renewing it is usually more sensible than starting from scratch.
That is the assessment we make during the first visit, with the X-ray right in front of us: the actual condition of your abutment teeth, your bone, and your timeline. If the bridge is the best option for you, we will tell you with the same clarity with which we explain its fine print.
Not all dental bridges are carved equal. Knowing the four gives you room for negotiation in any clinic, including this one.
Crowns on the two abutments and a pontic between them. The standard for posterior gaps with previously restored abutments: survival rates of around 90% (%) at 10 years, according to the literature. Its Achilles’ heel is not the ceramic—it’s caries and nerve issues in the abutments.
For a missing incisor: a thin wing adheres to the inner surface of just one adjacent tooth, with minimal wear (3–30 % versus 63–72 %). It must be said, however, that the typical outcome is not that it breaks, but that it detaches—at a rate of around 19 % after five years, according to Pjetursson’s (2008) review. It reattaches, but it is counted as a failure before that happens, not after. In molars and cases of severe bruxism, this is not the recommended approach.
It is supported on one side only, which is useful when there is no pillar at the other end of the opening. The data call for caution: a 10-year survival rate of around 82 %, which is lower than that of a conventional bridge. It’s not the first choice; it’s a solution for a specific problem, and that’s how we’ll present it to you if it appears in your treatment plan.
Two implants can support a bridge of three or more pieces without touching any natural teeth. It is the logical option when several teeth in a row are missing and placing an implant per tooth adds no value. When almost the entire dental arch is missing, the concept is called All-on-4 —and if you are looking for a removable solution, that conversation is in prosthesis.
How we work
Condition of the abutments, bone cavity, and the full conversation: bridge, implant, adhesive, or wait. Written quotation specifying the exact material.
Under local anaesthesia, the abutments are prepared — just enough for the chosen material, with the margin as high as the case allows. In an adhesive restoration, the enamel is barely touched.
Digital scan with an intraoral scanner, no impression pastes, and shade matching right next to your natural teeth. You leave with a fixed provisional in place: never with a visible gap.
The laboratory mills the structure and characterises the ceramics. In visible gaps, the technician's hand is what separates "good" from "you can't tell which one it is".
Fit, contacts, and colour are checked with you present. Only when everything is satisfactory is it permanently cemented and the bite is checked.
We teach you how to clean underneath the pontic — the skill that determines how many years your bridge will last — and you enter your routine of check-ups.
A bridge is not cleaned like a tooth. Regular floss doesn't pass between the parts because they are connected: you have to thread it through under the pontic, with special stiff-end floss (Super Floss), interdental brush, or water flosser. Two minutes a day, literally.
It sounds like a minor detail, and it is the exact opposite. Bridges almost never fail in the centre: they fail at the edges of the abutments, where plaque accumulates and decay gets underneath the crown without you seeing it. Tan's review (2004) puts it bluntly: the most frequent biological complications are caries and loss of vitality of the abutments—not broken ceramic.
That is why step 6 of our process is not just for show: before discharging you, we teach you the technique with your bridge in place, and at each professional cleaning That area is thoroughly inspected. A well-cleaned and checked bridge lasts for decades; an abandoned one, years.
The numbers are good: around the 94 % 5-year survival rate and 90 % 10-year survival rate, according to the systematic review by Tan and colleagues (2004). But it is worth reading the other half of the data. When a bridge fails, it is usually not that it breaks: what usually happens is that the abutments decay or lose vitality and end up needing a root canal —Or that the bridge comes uncememented. The bridge holds up; what wears out underneath is your teeth.
There is another fact we share because almost no one else does: preparing a vital tooth carries a small but real risk that its nerve will suffer over the years—long-term studies place it in the single-digit range for intact teeth, and considerably higher in teeth that are already heavily restored. Multiply that by two abutments and you will understand why this page insists so much on not preparing healthy teeth without a good reason.
You already know the recipe to keep yours on the right side of the statistic: daily hygiene beneath the pontic, check-ups where margins are probed, and a night guard if you grind your teeth at night. Nothing exotic — just consistency.
Transparency
Dental bridge
Custom quote
It depends on the number of pieces, the material, and the condition of the abutment teeth. Following the examination, we will provide you with alternatives and a written quotation; flexible financing of up to 60 months is available.
Request an assessmentThe range between clinics is explained by four things: the number of pieces, the material (and the laboratory behind it), the status of the pillars —previous reconstructions or root canals change the quotation—and what the price includes Really. Comparing only the final figure is comparing poorly. You can check our indicative prices at pricing page.
Flexible financing available; detailed conditions in writing at the clinic.
Frequently asked questions
On a conventional bridge, yes: the two abutment teeth are shaped to receive their crowns, and full preparation removes about two-thirds of each dental crown. That is why we always evaluate whether your neighbouring teeth already needed a crown—or if an implant or a resin-bonded bridge preserves more tooth structure in your case.
The literature estimates the survival rate at around 90 % after ten years, and many last considerably longer. The key isn't the ceramic but the abutments: daily oral hygiene under the pontic, regular check-ups, and a nightguard if you clench your teeth at night make all the difference.
The preparation is done with local anaesthesia and you should not feel it. The following days there may be mild sensitivity and some gum discomfort around the temporary; it is temporary and we will tell you how to manage it.
It depends on your abutments and your bone. With healthy neighbours and sufficient bone, the implant preserves more of your own tooth. With abutments that already needed a crown, or when surgery is not feasible, the bridge is usually the sensible option. We will show you both options using your X-ray.
An adhesive bridge that replaces an incisor by bonding a thin wing to a single adjacent tooth, with minimal tooth preparation. Its weakness is well known: it can come loose (at a rate of about 19 % after five years, according to studies) and can be reattached. It is not the appropriate treatment for molars or severe bruxism.
Using superfloss, an interdental brush, or an oral irrigator, passing it under the pontic daily. It is the routine that adds the most years to a bridge, and we will teach it to you with yours in place before discharging you.
Based on the material and its lab, the number of pieces, the condition of the abutments, and what the price includes: temporary, trial fitting, check-ups. Always ask for a written breakdown — here it is the first thing we give you.
Often yes: the bridge is removed, the gap and the abutments are evaluated, and an implant is planned where the tooth is missing and individual crowns where appropriate. It depends on the available bone and the condition of the abutments; the X-ray clarifies this in one visit.
First visit
Examination, X-ray, and all options for your gap — bridge, implant, adhesive, or waiting — explained with reasons and a written quotation. Write to us and we will call you to schedule an appointment.
