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Fixed & Bonded Bridges
Fixed bridges and bonded bridges replace missing teeth. Fixed bridges may utilize crowns to hold a fake tooth; bonded bridges use bonding (less tooth structure is lost) to replace a missing tooth.
Single crowns last longer than bridges because sometimes torquing (twisting) forces are applied to bridges. These forces sometimes can cause the cement seal (under crowns that are part of bridges) to break down and leak bacteria, causing the tooth underneath to rot without being detected. A single crown can have its cement last 17 years on average; a bridge may last a little more than half of that. Today, this is why implants are more desirable for replacing missing teeth than bridges.
