Ceramic Bridges
A bridge replaces a missing tooth by joining to the teeth either side, milled from one piece of ceramic and cemented in place. At Millenia Walk it takes about two weeks and two visits. It is the right answer when those neighbouring teeth already need crowning — and the wrong one when they are sound.
- Visits
- 2
- Timeframe
- About 2 weeks
- Material
- Milled ceramic
- Fee, per unit
- S$1,962 – 2,725
What happens
Any decay or gum disease in the supporting teeth is treated first. A bridge is only as sound as the teeth carrying it, and problems sealed underneath do not stay quiet.
The teeth either side of the gap are prepared for crowns, and the whole span is scanned in 3D — no impression putty.
The bridge is milled from a single block of ceramic, so the units are one piece rather than parts cemented together.
It is tried in for fit, contact and bite, then cemented. You leave with the technique for cleaning underneath it, which is the thing that decides how long it lasts.
Bridge or implant?
This is the real decision, and it turns on the two teeth either side of the gap rather than on the gap itself.
We will tell you which of those two situations you are actually in, and show you on the scan. If the answer is the implant, we will say so even though the bridge is the treatment we could start sooner.
Who does this at Calm Dental
All five dentists place ceramic bridges.
Bridges are quoted per unit at the crown fee — a three-unit bridge is three units. See the fees page, including GST. A written quotation follows examination.
When a bridge is not the answer
We will not prepare healthy, untouched teeth to carry a bridge when an implant can replace the tooth without them. That is the most common reason we talk someone out of a bridge, and it costs us the larger treatment.
A bridge is also the wrong choice where the supporting teeth are already weak or heavily filled, where gum disease is active and untreated, or where the gap is long — the more units span a gap, the more force the end teeth carry. Where several teeth are missing across an arch, a fixed full arch on implants or a removable option is the more honest conversation.
Questions
Bridge or implant — which is better?
It depends mostly on the teeth either side of the gap. If they are sound, an implant is usually the better answer because it replaces the missing tooth without touching them. If they already need crowns, a bridge treats all three problems at once. An implant also needs enough bone and takes three to six months; a bridge is finished in about two weeks.
Do the teeth either side have to be cut down?
Yes. A conventional bridge is anchored by crowns on the neighbouring teeth, so those teeth are prepared all the way round. That is permanent, and it is the main reason we do not recommend a bridge when those teeth are healthy and untouched.
How long does a ceramic bridge last?
Commonly ten years or more. What ends a bridge is usually not the ceramic but the teeth underneath — decay starting at a crown margin, or gum disease around a supporting tooth. Cleaning under the bridge is what protects it.
How do I clean under a bridge?
With a floss threader or interdental brush under the replacement tooth, daily. A bridge is joined across the gap, so ordinary flossing cannot pass between the units. We show you the technique when it is fitted.
Is a bridge claimable under Medisave?
No. Medisave applies to surgical procedures such as implant placement or surgical extraction, not to fixed prosthetics like bridges and crowns. Your written quotation states what applies.