A dental bridge is part of a fixed denture and is used to close gaps. The simplest bridge consists of 2 parts: the bridge anchor (also called bridge abutment) and the bridge member that replaces the lost tooth. This type of dental bridge is often used in the anterior region, as it is too unstable for the posterior region, where the chewing forces are most effective.
When do you need a bridge?
When teeth are lost, the chewing function is considerably disturbed. This leads to various additional disturbances at the tooth gap. Speech formation can also be impaired, especially if an anterior tooth is missing.
First of all, the antagonists, i.e. the teeth on the opposite side of the gap no longer find contact and, since they find no resistance, grow out of their tooth socket. This leads to difficulties later on when a prosthetic restoration is needed. All teeth have contact with each other.
If this contact is lost, the neighboring teeth have a tendency to tilt into the gap, since they no longer have contact. This also leads to difficulties with a later prosthetic restoration. If teeth in the visible area are affected, aesthetics naturally also plays a decisive role.
How much does a dental bridge cost?
Bridges and crowns are prosthetic services that are paid for by the statutory health insurance companies (GKV) after submission of a treatment and cost plan. Important for the amount of the subsidy is the presentation of a receipt (“bonus booklet”), which proves a regular visit to the dentist. Private bills for privately insured persons (PKV) are paid by the health insurance companies according to the concluded tariff.
The amount of the bill is determined individually. The price of a bridge depends on the type of bridge. This means on the one hand, which material is used, on the other hand, how large the span of the bridge is.
The cheapest variant is a non-precious metal bridge in the posterior region. If this bridge is tooth-colored and veneered with ceramic, or if it is made entirely of ceramic (such as zirconium), the bridge will be more expensive. The span of a bridge describes how many units the bridge consists of, including abutment teeth and bridge units.
If, for example, a bridge is used to close a gap between two adjacent teeth, this variant is triple-unit: 2 crowned teeth and, in combination, a bridge element to fill the gap. The more pontics or abutment teeth are included, the more expensive the bridge is. In general, a 3-unit bridge between two teeth can be expected to cost between 800 and 1200 Euros. It also depends on how much the individual bonus is paid by the health insurance company, which pays a maximum of 30% more. If the patient has a very low income, it may be worthwhile to apply for a hardship case with the health insurance company, through which the respective health insurance company would cover all costs if the application is approved.
