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CostHelper.com > Health & Personal Care > Dental Bridge
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Dental Bridge Cost |
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How Much Does a Dental Bridge Cost? |
 | For a Resin-Bonded Bridge: $850-$1,200 for One Tooth |
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 | For a Three-Unit Bridge: $1,500-$4,500+ |
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| A dental bridge is permanently fixed in place to bridge the gap caused by a missing tooth or teeth. Most fixed bridges involve three to four teeth -- one or two false teeth to fill the gap, plus crowns on the two anchor teeth on either side of the gap. | | |
| Typical costs: | - Also called a resin-bonded bridge, a Maryland bridge consists of a plastic tooth (or teeth) and gums supported on a metal framework, with metal wings bonded to the existing teeth on either side of the gap. This is the most simple type of bridge to apply, and runs about $250 -$500 for each attaching wing and $600 -$1,200 for each false tooth, or $850 -$1,200 for one false tooth with two metal wings and $1,700 -$2,900 with two false teeth.
- A traditional three-unit bridge uses a false tooth (called a pontic) plus a crown on each side to fill the gap created by a missing tooth. When there are teeth on only one side of the gap, a cantilever bridge uses crowns only on one side. These bridges can cost anywhere from $500 -$1,500 per tooth (unit), or $1,500 -$4,500 for fixing in place a false tooth fused to two anchoring crowns, but costs can go as high as $6,000 -$9,000 for a three-unit bridge. A four-unit bridge (two false teeth, two anchor crowns) can run $2,000 -$12,000.
- Dental insurance might pay about half the cost of a fixed dental bridge, depending on the terms of your policy.
- A removable appliance to replace one or more missing teeth is actually not a bridge but a partial denture, which costs $300 -$700 or more depending on location, complexity and the quality of materials. A more expensive option to fill the gap from a missing tooth is a single dental implant, which requires surgery. Costs start around $1,250 -$3,000 per implant, but can be $15,000 -$30,000 or more depending on local rates, complexity and the need for bone or gum restoration work.
What should be included: | - Generally a fixed bridge requires two appointments. At the first appointment, the dentist will typically remove some of the enamel from the two adjoining (anchor) teeth to make room for the crowns, make an impression of your teeth and then install a temporary bridge. The impression is sent to a dental laboratory, which manufacturers the bridge. At the second appointment your dentist will remove the temporary bridge and install and adjust the permanent bridge. Additional appointments might be needed to check the fit and bite. Dental bridges require good oral hygiene, but should last 5 to 15 years or longer. WebMD.com provides an overview.
Discounts: | - Dental college clinics often provide services by supervised students or faculty at reduced rates; check DentalSite.com for school locations.
- Some dental groups pay partial fees for low-income patients; the American Dental Association lists state associations.
Shopping for a dental bridge: | |
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Material on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Always consult your physician or pharmacist regarding medications or medical procedures.
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Article updated January 2009 |
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What People Are Paying - Recent Comments |
| bridge failure |
| Amount: $0.00 total |
| Posted by: les carter in ukiah, CA. | Posted: September 30th, 2009 05:09PM |
| Dentist: scoggins |
i received a 7 tooth bridge. it was not permittly
sealed and failed. the anchor teeth decayed away. |
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| 3-unit Bridge porc.fuse.hi.nob crown |
| Amount: $2,600.00 total |
| Posted by: dentists decay like me in Princeton, NJ. | Posted: December 27th, 2009 08:12PM |
| Dentist: good general dentist |
| I got the regular fixed 3-unit bridge: a pontic, with porcelain-fused to high nobel metal crowns on each side of a molar/pre. Dentist billed me for bridge at $3100.(an extra $325 for the molar extraction, intraoral periapical film xray). My Dental Insurance lowered fee to $2,800; and I had to pay $1800 (the $1500 deductible used up). |
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| DON'T DO BRIDGE!!! |
| Amount: $1,500.00 total |
| Posted by: Jillian in St. Louis, MO. | Posted: January 28th, 2010 09:01AM |
| People, take it from me, if given the choice of Bridge vs. more expensive implant..take the implant for God's sake and yours! I opted for the cheaper route, and am now paying dearly. Bridges require the Dr. to grind-down the two prob. good teeth on either side of the bridge and then these appliances collect food debris underneath requiring you to waterpik underneath them almost daily, okay, ultimately this is merely a short-term fix which they readily admit will require replacement & adjustments. All this can aggravate the one or both of the teeth that were ground down..now as w/me, 5 yrs later, I had to have bridge removal & extraction of the ground down teeth..so at 45 something yrs. of age, I'm missing 3 teeth on R lower left, began chewing on R to compensate, cracked upper left, where I just underwent root canal 2-4 mths ago! Got the picture? Instead of initial 1 tooth implant, which is supposed to last lifetime for $3-4K, I'm now looking at 4X that amount minimum, just 5 yrs. later..so if given the choice, GO IMPLANT and you'll likely never have to look back!! p.s. and I wished I'd come across a message like this 5 yrs. ago :-( & no matter what she looks like in the picture, who wants to date a girl with dentures or worse..no teeth! This is my painful reality. |
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| Bridge vs Implant |
| Amount: $0.00 total |
| Posted by: Laurie in Port Richey, FL. | Posted: February 1st, 2010 09:02AM |
| Jillian, it is easy to say GO IMPLANT, but you have to have good bone to attach it to. In this article, it says it could cost more than $30,000, depending on how much building up of the gums and bones you need. My dentist said I am not a good candidate for an implant (which I would have definitely preferred)but I obviously have no other choice(besides keeping the space there!) Your comment was helpful to me, and I will ask my dentist more about the future situations that could arise. But he also told me, the starting prices between a bridge and implant isn't that much difference..$3,300 for bridge and $3,700 for implant. I would have paid the higher for implant..but like I said...not a good candidate...and the more work to restore bones and gums...WOOH!..just cannot afford that much!I am sorry for the situation you are in, that's what I am worried about for myself...so it was good to get your info!!! |
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| Bridge Replacement |
| Amount: $3,000.00 total |
| Posted by: Crystal OKC in Oklahoma City, OK. | Posted: April 12th, 2010 04:04PM |
| I was born without my upper lateral incisors. After braces, at 17 I had 2 cantilever bridges put in. Both of my upper canines were shaved down and then a porcelain cap with the fake tooth connected was cemented on. I only had 1 tooth shaved down for each bridge. I am now 31 and my cantilever bridges are still fine and have caused me no problems. I have wasted time and money to find out I\'m not a good candidate for implants. The color of my bridges was great until whitening became popular. After years of thinking about it, I have decided to have my bridges replaced with new ones after my teeth are whitened. It is only $3000.00 compared to the $7500.00 plus I was told I would have had to pay if I was able to get implants. My point is everyone is different. No mouth the same, no hygenie the same, no dentist the same. You shouldn\'t sway someone to not get a bridge just because you had a bad experience. I\'ve had a great experience. No one even knows those two teeth are fake. I recommend you tell people about your experience and let them make their own decisions. |
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| Bridge |
| Amount: $12,000.00 total |
| Posted by: Stephanie1460 in lehigh acres, FL. | Posted: May 23rd, 2010 12:05PM |
| Just got an estimate to have a bridge done on my front teeth that will also call for a buildup etc on the top of my mouth...is this the practical cost of this?? |
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| maryland bridge |
| Amount: $4,200.00 total |
| Posted by: katherine.r.w in Auckland, New Zealand, Other. | Posted: June 19th, 2010 09:06PM |
| after having braces for four years with two false teeth bonded to the bracket it was now time to have a permanent fixture for my two front incisors. i was not willing to have the operation, prep and recovery time required for implants so a bridge was my only option. granted that the teeth on either side of the false teeth are slightly grey due to the metal bonded at the back, my teeth look great, i now smile naturally and don't have the constant fear of something snapping. the hygiene required is a nuisance however after years of braces and gaps it's all worth it. |
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| dental crowns and fixed bridges |
| Amount: $12,000.00 total |
| Posted by: thais in Monroe, LA. | Posted: October 9th, 2010 10:10AM |
| I have worn porcelin crowns for 30 years because my front adult teeth were decayed. No regrets at all however now I want to have them replaced with newer crowns and a fixed bridge. the price to get this done is about 12,000. Based on your experience, do you think this is too much? |
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| Shop Around!!!!!! Prices vary by State!!!!!! |
| Amount: $3,250.00 total |
| Posted by: Marla in Moorestown, NJ. | Posted: October 29th, 2010 08:10PM |
I had a fracture on one of the roots of tooth #14. Not knowing the 'depth' of the crack, and in an attempt to 'fix' the tooth, I had a laser procedure with bonding @ a cost of $525 (in New York), which failed. The Dentist referred me to an Endodontist, for a root canal and hemisection, which seemed expensive and compromised the tooth, possibly costing me additional expense in the future.
Instead, I got a 2nd opinion with another dentist, who suggested that I have #14 extracted, and get a permanent 3 tooth bridge to attach to teeth on either side, both which had already had root canals and post and cores.
Cost in NY=$525 for extraction/Bridge $4800=$5325.
Cost in NJ=$250 for extraction/Bridge=$3000=$3250.
Cost difference from NY to NJ=$2075!!!!!! |
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| Bridge and Implants |
| Amount: $0.00 total |
| Posted by: Mousnhouse in Valencia, CA. | Posted: November 30th, 2010 08:11AM |
| Dentist: Dr. Weber |
I'm missing 6 teeth, and the amnount I was quoted for a bridge, was $15,000. Implants would cost $$$$ more. I was told that the Dentist uses material made in Sweden, and that was the reason why I would need to pay $$$ for the bridge.
I'm discovering that Dentist's live a pretty good life. |
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| root canal/crown |
| Amount: $1,600.00 total |
| Posted by: a user in amory, MS. | Posted: December 16th, 2010 09:12PM |
| had a root canal done. a few weeks later i had a crown on the same tooth. about 4 weeks after the crown, i had an abcess of that tooth. tooth can not be saved, now looking at the tooth being pulled and a bridge put n. should have done the bridge first. |
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| 3 point bridge |
| Amount: $1,500.00 total |
| Posted by: Elise in Bronx, NY. | Posted: December 25th, 2010 08:12PM |
| In my 30's, had a 3 pt bridge put in my upper left quadrant. 20 years later, had to have root canals on the anchor teeth. Now I have to replace the bridge at a cost of 1200 per point (3600). Now he's talking about using an implant for one of the anchor teeth (failed root canal). That's an extra 3500 for one implant. I asked about doing a 4 pt bridge...that will be a total of 4800. 4800 vs. 7100 neither of which my insurance will cover. Guess I will just tolerate the current condition for a while |
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| best quality |
| Amount: $5,400.00 total |
| Posted by: nassar in cliffside park, NJ. | Posted: January 7th, 2011 10:01AM |
i have spent only $5400.00 for 6 tooth bridge,thanks to my doctor who helped me on this ..God knows it might cost me trible ...excellent job ..if you need help on this you can email me for refrences.
nassar7@msn.com |
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| 4 Unit Bridge |
| Amount: $2,780.00 total |
| Posted by: Dentists are not doctors. in Valencia, CA. | Posted: January 23rd, 2011 08:01PM |
| Dentist: Allen Smudde |
| I just had a replacement bridge of 4 units in place of one missing tooth but doctor decided to make it 4 smaller units instead of 3 large one. Disadvantage of the 4smaller units is the grooving of the bridge is not as good as of the 3 larger units which allows the chewing be more effective. If the bottom of the table teeth are flat then chewing will be painful. A simple mechanism can be used to determine that, as the millstone the way designed to have spiky tiny teeth to grind down the grain. I'm not a dentist and yet i am able to apply to common sense. These brainless mammals call themselves dentist and yet don't understand that the bottom of the table teeth cannot and must not be flat. I'm tired of explaining those donkeys but they don't sync. I changed 4 dentists and the results are the same. It seems as if they all went to the same dental school. As I mentioned earlier that this bridge is the replacement bridge, meaning it's the second bridge for the same teeth within a year. |
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| Permanent Bridge |
| Amount: $6,000.00 total |
| Posted by: misquoted in Lafayette, LA. | Posted: March 31st, 2011 02:03PM |
| Dentist: Dr. Chambers |
| I was quoted a pre-approved insurance quote and a cost for four porcelain teeth on a fixed bridge. When I got my replacement, I was told because I grinded my teeth and my hard bite may crack the porcelain crown. However, I was told because the bridge was a unit, there was no price difference because the back anchor crown was titanium and not porcelain. I know there is a big difference. |
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| cost of bridge and experience with implant |
| Amount: $1,000.00 total |
| Posted by: mieke in progreso, yucatan, Other. | Posted: April 15th, 2011 08:04PM |
| Dentist: in Progreso Mexico |
| to Jillian: i had a bad experience with an implant, after 5 year the crown broke off. today i had a root canal done for a tooth, costing me 800 pesos = 70 usd, in one week he is adding a post for 600 pesos = 50 usd, after that i will get a crown for 1500 pesos = 120 usd. he gave me a quote for 2 bridges: one upper left 5 unit bridge and one upper right 4 unit bridge total: 10,800 pesos a little less than 1000 usd. overal very good experience so far. |
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| Bridges |
| Amount: $4,500.00 total |
| Posted by: Anastazya in Phila., PA. | Posted: May 16th, 2011 03:05PM |
| I have had most of my remaining 17 teeth root canaled & capped for 25 years. I did great, now there is decay under some of the crowns (being replaced and rebuilding stump). My bottom middle four are doing the same thing. Dentist wants to extract them and give me bridge as a fill in. I had two previous bridges which I loved, however, the root canal's developed infections and after dental surgery(apicoectomy) they still could not be saveed and off came the teeth and the bridges. I don't know if I want to go thru bone grafts etc for a implant. My generation did not have the advantages they do today. I also have a bottom partial. I know that a lot of this is genetics, but I have spent at least $30,000.00 plus in fees since I was 16 years old. |
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| dental bridge |
| Amount: $900.00 total |
| Posted by: a user in CONCORD, NH. | Posted: July 30th, 2011 07:07PM |
| I had a 3-unit bridge put in 30 years ago. One of the teeth under the bridge got decayed and I had to have it pulled this month. I now have 2 missing teeth and must decide on getting another bridge and gridding down another tooth or two implants. The cost of the implants 4,000 each the bridge 3400.00 but the problem is If I go with the bridge I will still have no tooth in the back of my mouth. If I go with the implant one of the spaces will need a bone graft build up. Or do both at cost of 7500.00. Undecided. |
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| Crown Bridges |
| Amount: $0.00 total |
| Posted by: Beck22 in Dayton, OH. | Posted: March 12th, 2012 07:03AM |
| Dentist: O\\\\\\\'Brian |
| Had tooth removed 20 years ago and decided no bridge and yes some lateral tooth movement but not noticable and I chew on left side more than right but I spent $0 and I had no other teeth to grind down and loss them later to decay or bridges to replace. Dentist are great salesman with only facts to scare you into treatments |
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| Permanent Bridge |
| Amount: $15,000.00 total |
| Posted by: Cost is Painful Too in Clifton, NJ. | Posted: May 2nd, 2012 12:05AM |
| Five years ago I had two bridges made for the top teeth. I paid $15,000 plus whatever my insurance covered. The fit was perfect when he cemented them in but I've always noticed that when chewing on my right side in the back, I could feel pressure in the front as though it wants to pop off. Last week I bit on a popcorn kernel and since then I feel pain when cold air or food hits my front tooth. I just hope that the entire bridge doesn't have to come out to make the repair. |
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