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Care / Precision / Confidence / Glenrothes / Fife /
Treatment
Bridges
A fixed replacement tooth held in place by the teeth either side of the gap. Priced per unit, so most single gaps come to three units.
What it costs hereFrom £575A bridge is priced per unit. A unit is one replacement tooth or one tooth used to anchor it, so a bridge filling a single gap is usually three units. what that covers
GDHTreatment
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In short
Bridges in short
A false tooth held in place by the teeth on either side of the gap.
Priced per unit. One single gap is usually three units, so about £1,725.
The teeth either side are cut down to hold it. That cannot be undone.
You clean underneath it with a threader or a small brush, every day.
Visits
Two: preparation, then fitting
How long it takes
Two to three weeks at the laboratory in between
Anaesthetic
Local, at the preparation appointment
How long it lasts
Often ten years or more. Some fail sooner.
Can it be undone
No. The supporting teeth are reshaped for good.
On the NHS
On the NHS where a bridge is clinically needed
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Treatment
What it is
A bridge fills a gap where a tooth is missing. The replacement tooth is joined to the teeth on either side of the gap, and those teeth hold it up. It is fixed in your mouth, so you do not take it out to clean it.
Most bridges are made of porcelain, or porcelain bonded to metal. A laboratory makes yours from a mould or a digital scan of your mouth. We then cement it onto your own teeth.
There is more than one kind. A conventional bridge sits over the teeth either side, and those teeth are shaped down first so it can fit. An adhesive bridge, often called a Maryland bridge, has a thin wing that is bonded to the back of one neighbouring tooth. It takes away far less tooth.
A bridge lets you chew more evenly and closes the gap when you smile. It also stops the teeth around the gap drifting into the space.
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Treatment
Is this right for me?
A bridge often works well if you have one gap, or a short gap, with a solid tooth at each end of it.
It tends to suit you if:
The teeth either side already have large fillings or crowns
Your gums are healthy and free of infection
You keep your teeth clean and are willing to learn a new cleaning routine
You would rather not have anything removable
It is less likely to suit you if:
The gap is long, or there is no tooth behind it
You grind or clench your teeth heavily
You have gum disease or decay that has not been treated yet
The teeth either side are untouched and sound
That last point is the honest trade-off, and it matters. A conventional bridge means cutting healthy tooth away from two teeth to replace one. You cannot put that tooth surface back. If both neighbours have never been drilled, think hard before you agree to it. An adhesive bridge removes much less tooth and may be the better answer for a single front gap.
The other ways to deal with a gap:
A denture. It clips in and you take it out to clean it. An acrylic denture for one jaw starts at £625, so it costs less. It is also less stable than a bridge and covers more of your mouth.
An implant. A post is placed in the jaw bone and a tooth built on top. It does not touch the teeth either side at all. It costs more than a bridge and takes several months. Our visiting dentist does this work here.
Doing nothing. This is a real option, not a fudge. A gap at the very back of your mouth often needs nothing at all, if you chew comfortably and the teeth around it are stable. We would keep an eye on it at your check-ups.
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Treatment
What happens, step by step
A conventional bridge takes two appointments, usually two to three weeks apart.
Before we start, we check the teeth either side and take an X-ray. We are looking at the roots, the bone around them and any old fillings. A tooth that is already weak is a poor anchor, and we would tell you that.
At the first appointment, which takes an hour or so:
We numb the area with a local anaesthetic.
We shape the teeth either side so the bridge can sit over them. This is the part that cannot be undone.
We take a mould or a digital scan, and match the shade of your teeth.
We fit a temporary bridge, so you do not leave with a gap.
Between visits the laboratory builds your bridge. The temporary will feel a little different from your own teeth. Keep off hard and sticky food, because a temporary can come off. Ring us if it does.
The second appointment takes about half an hour:
We take the temporary off and try the finished bridge in.
We check how it fits, how it meets your bite and how it looks.
We only cement it once you are happy with the colour and shape.
We show you how to clean underneath, and you practise it with us there.
Your bite may feel odd for a few days while you get used to it. Come back if it still feels high after that, because we can adjust it. The anchor teeth can be sensitive to cold for a few weeks.
An adhesive bridge follows the same two visits. The first one is shorter and often needs little or no drilling.
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Treatment
What it costs
Bridges are priced per unit. This is where most confusion starts, so here is what a unit means.
A unit is one tooth. That is either the replacement tooth, or one of your own teeth used to anchor it. Our price is from £575 per unit.
A bridge that fills one single gap is usually three units. The replacement tooth in the middle counts as one. The tooth on each side that holds it counts as one each. So a typical single-gap bridge comes to around £1,725, not £575.
An adhesive bridge is often two units, because it anchors to one tooth rather than two. A longer gap needs more units and costs more.
The per-unit price covers:
Shaping the anchor teeth
Taking the mould or the digital scan
The laboratory fee for making the bridge
Fitting the finished bridge at your second appointment
We count the units and give you the full figure in writing before you agree to anything. If a tooth needs a filling or your gums need treating first, we price that at the assessment too, so you see the whole cost up front.
Bridges are also available on the NHS where there is a clinical need. NHS charges in Scotland are set by the Scottish Government, not by us. Examinations are free for everyone. If you pay, you pay 80% of the cost of each item, up to £384 for a course of treatment.
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Treatment
What could go wrong
A bridge is a good repair, but it asks a lot of the teeth holding it up. You should know what can go wrong before you agree to one.
The anchor teeth can decay underneath. The bridge covers them, so decay starts at the edge where the bridge meets the tooth. It is hard to see and hard to reach. This is the most common reason a bridge is lost.
Shaping the anchor teeth cannot be reversed. Once that tooth surface is gone it does not grow back. Those teeth will need a bridge or a crown on them from then on.
An anchor tooth may need root canal treatment later. Shaping a tooth irritates the nerve inside it. Sometimes that nerve does not settle, and the tooth needs root canal treatment through the bridge, or the bridge has to come off first.
If one anchor tooth fails, the whole bridge usually fails. A bridge is one piece. Losing one supporting tooth normally means the bridge comes out, and you are then choosing between a longer bridge, a denture or implants. That is a larger bill than the first one.
It can come loose. The cement can give way, which is called a debond. Adhesive bridges debond more often than conventional ones. We can sometimes clean it and re-cement it, but not if there is decay underneath.
Porcelain can chip or fracture. A small chip can sometimes be smoothed or patched in your mouth. A larger one means remaking the bridge and paying for it again.
Cleaning underneath takes real commitment. Normal floss will not go under the false tooth. You need a floss threader, superfloss or an interdental brush, every single day. If that is not something you will keep up, a bridge is likely to fail early.
The gum can shrink. Over the years the gum under the false tooth can recede. That can leave a small space that traps food, or shows as a dark line if the bridge is at the front.
The colour may not match exactly. We match the shade to the teeth beside it at the time it is made. Your own teeth change shade over the years and the porcelain does not.
We will tell you honestly what we think the anchor teeth can take. If we think they are a poor bet, we will say so rather than take your money.
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Treatment
Who does this here
Principal dentist
Registered name
Tien-Yu Chang
GDC number
296929
Qualification
Grado en Odontología, University CEU San Pablo, 2021
Qualified in
Spain
Associate dentist
Registered name
Li Yang Yeh
GDC number
306420
Qualification
Grado en Odontología, University CEU San Pablo, 2021
Qualified in
Spain
Associate dentist
GDC number
329275
Qualification
Grado en Odontología, University CEU San Pablo, 2025
Qualified in
Spain
Associate dentist
Registered name
Chen Liu
GDC number
331071
Qualification
Dr Med Dent, Semmelweis University, 2025
Qualified in
Hungary
Associate dentist
Registered name
Cheng-Tsung Hsu
GDC number
320342
Qualification
Grado en Odontología, CEU Cardenal Herrera University, 2024
Qualified in
Spain
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Useful answers
Questions people ask
01How long does a bridge last?
Many bridges last ten years or more, and some go well beyond that. Others fail much sooner. It is not a repair that lasts for good, and we would not want you to plan on that.
What decides it is the state of the anchor teeth, how well you clean underneath, and how hard you bite. We can give you an honest view of your own teeth at the assessment, but we cannot give you a number.
02How do I clean under it?
Under the false tooth there is a small space between the bridge and your gum. Food and plaque collect there, and ordinary floss cannot get into it because the bridge is joined together.
You use a floss threader or superfloss to pass floss underneath, or a small interdental brush to sweep through. It takes an extra minute a day. We show you how at the fitting and check it at every visit.
03Will it look natural?
We match the shade to the teeth beside it and check the colour with you before anything is cemented. For most people the result blends in well.
There are limits worth knowing. A porcelain tooth reflects light a little differently from a real one, and the gum line takes time to settle. If the bridge is at the front, we will talk through how visible the join is likely to be before we start.
04Can I have one on the NHS?
Sometimes. Bridges are available on the NHS where there is a clinical need for one, rather than only a cosmetic reason. We will tell you which route is open to you.
NHS charges in Scotland are set by the Scottish Government and are the same at every NHS practice. Examinations are free for everyone, and if you pay you pay 80% of the cost, capped at £384 for a course of treatment.
05What if one of the anchor teeth fails?
The bridge is a single piece, so if one supporting tooth is lost the bridge normally has to come out with it. That leaves you with a bigger gap than you started with.
From there the options are a longer bridge, a denture, or implants. All of them cost more than the original bridge did. This is the main reason we look so carefully at the anchor teeth first.
06Should I have a bridge or an implant?
The honest answer depends on the teeth either side. If they are heavily filled or crowned already, a bridge uses teeth that are compromised anyway. If they are sound and untouched, an implant leaves them alone, which is worth a great deal.
An implant costs more and takes several months, because the bone has to heal around the post. A bridge is finished in a few weeks. We will lay out both, with figures, and you decide.
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Treatment
Next step
The first step is an examination and an X-ray. We need to see the teeth on either side of the gap and the bone around them before we can tell you whether a bridge is sensible, how many units it would be, and what it would cost.
At that appointment we will also be straight with you about a denture, an implant, or leaving the gap alone. Some gaps genuinely do not need filling.
Call us to book an assessment. A new patient consultation starts at £45.
Or call us on 01592 348674 if you would rather talk it through first.
Keep exploring
Helpful next pages.
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Local guideYour local dentist in Glenrothes
02
TreatmentDental implants in Glenrothes & Fife
03
TreatmentUrgent dental care in Glenrothes
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Glenrothes Dental House2 Huntsmans Court
Glenrothes, Fife
KY7 6SX
Glenrothes, Fife
KY7 6SX