How long does a Tooth Bridge last?

Bismarck

Sounds like a fairy story title but I'm serious.

There's been some great advice about teeth on here so far so I'd like some please.

I lost a tooth playing cricket in 1995 and had a bridge over the gap. The dentist warned me that it may need redoing in 5 years but it's been fine.

What is the life expectancy of a bridge and what are my likely NHS options going to be when refurbishment is needed?

thanks in advance.

Toothsmith

Bismarck wrote: »

Sounds like a fairy story title but I'm serious.

There's been some great advice about teeth on here so far so I'd like some please.

I lost a tooth playing cricket in 1995 and had a bridge over the gap. The dentist warned me that it may need redoing in 5 years but it's been fine.

What is the life expectancy of a bridge and what are my likely NHS options going to be when refurbishment is needed?

thanks in advance.

Average lifespan is probably about 10 years, but it really is like asking how long is a bit of string? Different factors affect the lifespan.

NHS replacement option? Probably a plastic denture.

Bismarck

Toothsmith wrote: »

Average lifespan is probably about 10 years, but it really is like asking how long is a bit of string? Different factors affect the lifespan.

NHS replacement option? Probably a plastic denture.

thanks for that...

what can prolong the lifespan or shorten it?

so they'd replace a bridge with a plate effectively...how much is a bridge privately these days:

my mouth is like this:

Top half : front six CNNNHC where C is for canine crown, N are Normal crowns and H is the gap where the tooth got knocked out and is bridge by the other 2.

sorry if this is a poor description but thanks for your help anyway.

anguk

Make sure you ask your dentist about any special care you need to take with your bridge & crowns. I had one fitted when I was a teenager after having my front tooth knocked out (fell off my bike), the bridge was attached to the teeth either side. My dentist (who I'd had since a child) didn't tell me how long the bridge would last, didn't tell me how to take care of it and never made any comments about the teeth that were holding the bridge.
20 years later :eek: I was eating a bacon sandwich and there was an almighty crack and the whole thing fell out leaving me with a 3-tooth gap at the front! I couldn't get an immediate appointment so ended up going to the dental hospital where they explained that there was no way I should have had the bridge that long and the teeth underneath had been rotting away (unknown to me), yet my dentist hadn't said a thing about it! I was horrified and immediately changed dentist. My current dentist is great and very thorough, he found quite a few things wrong with my teeth and had quite a bit of work to put everything right, despite the fact that I'd been going for regular 6 monthly checks with my old dentist! I'd only stayed with my old dentist because I'd been seeing him pretty much all my life, he's actually retired now but I think he should have gone long ago as he obviously hadn't been doing his job properly. I'd naively thought he'd been doing his job properly and hadn't realised things weren't as they should be.

Upshot is I've now got a denture (which I hate) but unfortunately I can't afford another bridge or implants. They're first on my list if I win the lottery!

Bismarck

thanks for that!

I've a new dentist and apart from the geographical distance, your old dentist sounds like mine....never explained anything, just got on with it and this was pre-internet days so you could do bu****-all research yourself...

He carried on well past his 60th birthday and I'd known him since I was a toddler....will ask about the bridge as you kind of forget about it until it's too late...

Toothsmith

If things are OK at the moment, then now would be a good time to start some sort of dental insurance policy, like the Tesco one or HSA (I'm no expert on insurance policies, so those aren't recommendations, just examples).