Dental Bridges in Hamilton

Fill the Gap with a Fixed Tooth

Q: What counts as a unit on a dental bridge?

Each tooth in a bridge counts as one unit, whether it's the false tooth or a crown that supports it. So a traditional bridge filling a single gap normally comes to three: two crowned anchor teeth and the replacement tooth between them. A resin-retained bridge for a single gap is usually one unit, or two if it's bonded to teeth on both sides. The per-unit fee is multiplied by the number of units to give your total.

Q: What's a Maryland bridge and how does it work?

A Maryland bridge is a resin-retained bridge: a false tooth held by a thin metal or ceramic wing that's glued to the back of the tooth beside the gap. Very little drilling is needed, and it usually takes two appointments. It's often the first choice for a single missing front tooth, and also works as a fixed temporary while an implant heals. It depends on a good bond, so it can occasionally come loose and need re-cementing (£80).

Q: Can a bridge harm the teeth beside it?

A conventional bridge can, because the teeth either side are cut down to take crowns, and if they had no fillings that means sacrificing sound enamel. A resin-retained bridge needs little or no shaping, which is why we prefer it when the bite allows. Either way, the supporting teeth need careful cleaning under the false tooth, because decay or gum disease there is the usual reason bridges fail. Simra, our hygienist, can show you how to use floss threaders or small brushes underneath.

Q: How many years does a bridge last?

Typically 10 to 15 years, and often longer, as long as the supporting teeth stay healthy. The weak point is rarely the bridge itself; it's decay or gum disease on the teeth holding it up. Daily cleaning under the false tooth, regular hygiene visits and coming in if it ever feels loose make the biggest difference. A resin-retained bridge that comes unstuck can usually be cleaned and re-cemented.

A dental bridge in Hamilton starts at £675 per unit, and most are fitted over two visits. ¹ It holds a false tooth in a gap by fixing it to the natural teeth beside it, so there's no plate to take out and no surgery.

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A conventional bridge is £695 per unit. Plan members pay 10% less. ¹ Children are registered and treated on the NHS straight away, and we are registering new NHS adults now.

Your dentistDr Lee Min Ning BDS (Glasgow)Associate dentist providing dental examinations, fillings and preventive care for adults and children. GDC 326775.Meet Dr Ning ›

What a Unit Means

Bridges are priced per unit, and every tooth in the bridge is one, whether it's the false tooth or a tooth holding it up.

So a winged bridge replacing one front tooth is often a single unit: the false tooth with a thin wing glued to the back of its neighbour. A conventional bridge for one missing molar is normally three: a crown on each side and the false tooth in the middle.

Your written plan lists every unit and its fee before you decide.

From Gap to Bridge

Assessment

We check the teeth either side, their roots on X-ray, your gums and how you bite, because these decide whether a bridge will hold.

Scan, and Shaping If Needed

A winged bridge usually needs only a light touch of enamel, if any. For a conventional one, the support teeth are numbed and trimmed. Then the iTero Lumina scans everything digitally.

Fit

About two weeks later we try it in, look at the colour and the bite with you, and fix it permanently.

Follow-Up

A short visit to check your bite has settled and that you can thread floss under the false tooth.

Types of Bridge We Make

The right design comes down to the gap, the bite and how healthy the neighbours are.

Winged (Maryland) Bridge

The false tooth carries a thin wing bonded behind one neighbour. Little or no drilling, which is why it's our usual pick for a single front tooth.

Conventional Bridge

The teeth on each side are crowned, and the crowns hold the false tooth between them. Stronger under heavy chewing, so it suits back teeth, but those teeth lose enamel to the crowns.

Same-Day Bridge After an Extraction

A winged bridge fitted when the tooth comes out, so you don't leave with a gap. It may be swapped for a definitive one once the gum heals.

Long-Term Temporary

Worn for months while an implant heals or while you weigh things up. From £450.

Bridge on Implants

Several teeth in a row carried by implants rather than natural teeth. See dental implants.

Re-Fixing a Loose Bridge

If one comes off, keep it and call us. If the teeth underneath are sound, we can usually clean and re-cement it (£80).

Bridge, Implant or Denture?

All three fill a gap. They differ in cost, in visits, and in how much they lean on the neighbouring teeth.

Guide: implant, bridge or denture?

Feature	Bridge	Implant	Partial denture
Fixed?	Yes	Yes	No, it comes out
Surgery	None	Minor, under local anaesthetic	None
Neighbouring teeth	Used as supports	Left untouched	Clasps rest on them
Bone in the gap	Slowly shrinks	Kept	Slowly shrinks
Time to finish	About two weeks	Usually three to four months	A few weeks
From	£675 a unit	£2,605 with crown	£565

How Long They Last

A well-kept bridge often gives ten to fifteen years, and plenty go longer. The false tooth almost never wears out. It's the supporting teeth that let it down, through decay at the crown edges or gum disease around their roots.

Winged bridges depend on a bond to enamel. They do best on healthy teeth and a normal bite, and if the wing comes unstuck it can usually be cleaned and bonded back (£80).

One honest drawback: once a tooth is gone, the bone under it shrinks over the years, and a small gap can open beneath the false tooth. An implant prevents that, which is one reason Dr Sharma may suggest it if you're younger or the gap is new.

Cleaning Under It

Every day, thread superfloss or a small interdental brush under the false tooth. Trapped food there causes most bridge failures

Brush along the gum line of the support teeth with a fluoride toothpaste

See Simra, our hygienist, regularly; healthy gums around the supports keep the bridge

Grind your teeth? A night guard takes the strain off the bond

Something rocking or catching floss? Come in early, while it can still be re-fixed

Bridge Prices

Set out per unit in your written plan before we start. Plan members pay 10% less. Prices checked October 2026. ¹

Winged bridge fitted on extraction day, per unit	£675
Winged bridge, definitive, per unit	£750
Conventional bridge, per unit	£695
Long-term temporary bridge	from £450
Re-cementing a conventional bridge	£80
Re-bonding a winged bridge	£80
For comparison: one implant with its crown	from £2,605

Full price list

Questions

Units, cost and bridge versus implant.

How much is a dental bridge in Hamilton?–

A dental bridge in Hamilton costs £695 per unit for a conventional bridge, or £675 per unit for an immediate resin-retained bridge and £750 per unit for a definitive one. ¹ To replace one missing tooth, a resin-retained bridge is normally one or two units and a conventional bridge three. A long-term provisional bridge, handy while you decide on an implant, is from £450. Your written plan shows the total before any preparation.

What counts as a unit on a dental bridge?+

What's a Maryland bridge and how does it work?+

Can a bridge harm the teeth beside it?+

Is a bridge or an implant better for one missing tooth?+

How many years does a bridge last?+

Guides

Missing Tooth Guides

All implants guides

Implants · 8 minute read

Dentures or full-arch implants? A fair comparison

Ask About Your Gap

At an exam we'll check whether the teeth around it can carry a bridge, show you the other options, and give you each fee in writing.

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