The average lifespan of a bridge on natural teeth in the United States is 9.1 years. Often, when bridges fail the failure is caused by recurrent decay (decay around margin where crown meets tooth). The second cause of failure is bone loss around the teeth holding the bridge. When either one of these problems occur to a moderate or severe degree, dental implants are a much better long term solution. Here, the right front tooth has decay and missing tooth structure. The lateral incisor on the right of the picture is, in general for all patients, not a good candidate for bridge support. Therefore, the decision was made to remove both teeth and place dental implants.
