A dental bridge and a dental implant both replace missing teeth with fixed teeth that you don't take out. A bridge is supported by crowns on the teeth on either side of the gap. An implant is anchored in the jawbone and doesn't rely on the neighboring teeth. Which one fits you depends on the health of those neighboring teeth, the bone where the tooth is missing, your medical history, your timeline and your budget.
How does a dental bridge work?
A bridge literally spans the gap left by one or more missing teeth. It is made as one piece:
Abutments are crowns on the teeth on either side of the space. They hold the bridge in place.
Pontics are the replacement teeth that sit over the gap and are attached to the crowns.
Bridges are commonly made of ceramic, porcelain fused to metal, or metal alloys such as gold. For front teeth, appearance usually guides the choice. For back teeth, strength and the bite play a larger role.
To place a traditional bridge, the supporting teeth are shaped for crowns. That is the main trade-off: two teeth are reshaped to replace one.
How does an implant replace a tooth?
A dental implant is a small post placed in the jawbone where the tooth is missing. After the bone heals around it, a crown is attached. The neighboring teeth are left alone. Several missing teeth in a row can also be replaced with a bridge supported by implants instead of natural teeth.
Our dental implants page and our article on how dental implants work explain the steps in more detail.
When might a bridge make sense?
The teeth beside the gap already have large fillings or crowns and would benefit from new crowns anyway.
The bone where the tooth is missing isn't suitable for an implant, or building it up isn't something you want to do.
A health condition or medication makes implant surgery less advisable. For example, some bone-strengthening medicines affect how the jaw heals (see our page on osteoporosis medications and your dental health).
You want the replacement finished in a shorter time. A bridge usually takes a few weeks, while an implant needs months for healing.
When might an implant make sense?
The teeth beside the gap are healthy and unrestored, and you'd rather not reshape them.
There is enough healthy bone, or it can be rebuilt.
You want each tooth to stand on its own so you can floss normally around it.
How long do bridges and implants last?
Both have good track records, and neither is permanent. A systematic review of tooth-supported bridges found that about 94 percent of metal-ceramic bridges were still in place after five years. A separate review of single implant crowns found about 96 percent of the crowns still in service after five years and about 89 percent after ten. That review also noted that complications such as loose screws and gum problems around the implant were fairly common.
These figures come from different groups of patients, so they aren't a direct contest between the two. How long your restoration lasts depends more on your gums, home care, bite and regular checkups.
Why replace a missing tooth at all?
A gap does more than change your smile. Replacing a missing tooth can help you:
Chew and speak comfortably
Keep neighboring and opposing teeth from drifting or tipping into the space
Spread biting forces more evenly across your teeth
Not every missing tooth must be replaced. A missing back tooth sometimes causes no problems, and leaving the space can be a reasonable choice. We'll talk through that option too.
How do you care for a bridge or implant?
Bridge: Clean under the replacement tooth every day with a floss threader, super floss or a small brush. Decay on the supporting teeth is a common reason bridges fail.
Implant: Brush and floss around it like a natural tooth. Gum inflammation around an implant can lead to bone loss, so regular cleanings matter.
Both: If you clench or grind, ask about a night guard.
Talk about replacing a missing tooth in Jacksonville
The right choice starts with an examination of the teeth next to the gap, the bone and your bite. Dr. CJ Henley sees patients at 3675 Hendricks Avenue in San Marco. Contact the office or call 904-398-1549 to schedule a visit.
Sources
Pjetursson BE, Sailer I, Makarov NA, Zwahlen M, Thoma DS. All-ceramic or metal-ceramic tooth-supported fixed dental prostheses (FDPs)? A systematic review of the survival and complication rates. Part II: Multiple-unit FDPs. Dent Mater. 2015;31(6):624-639. doi:10.1016/j.dental.2015.02.013 (retrieved via PubMed)
Jung RE, Zembic A, Pjetursson BE, Zwahlen M, Thoma DS. Systematic review of the survival rate and the incidence of biological, technical, and aesthetic complications of single crowns on implants reported in longitudinal studies with a mean follow-up of 5 years. Clin Oral Implants Res. 2012;23 Suppl 6:2-21. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0501.2012.02547.x (retrieved via PubMed)
About the author. CJ Henley, DMD, is a general dentist in Jacksonville whose practice focuses on cosmetic and restorative dentistry, dental implants and dental care around head and neck cancer. Meet Dr. Henley.
CJ Henley, DMD, PA · 3675 Hendricks Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32207 · 904-398-1549
Updated October 2026.
