A conventional dental bridge can be an effective way to replace a missing tooth in appropriate cases. However, I would not recommend it routinely, because the treatment requires the adjacent teeth to be prepared and used as supports.

Even if these teeth are healthy, part of their natural tooth structure must be removed to accommodate the bridge. This is an irreversible procedure and may affect the long-term health of the supporting teeth.

In addition, the supporting teeth have to bear the load transmitted through the bridge. When one or more missing teeth are replaced by a bridge, the functional forces are distributed through a smaller number of natural teeth. Depending on the patient’s bite and the condition of the supporting teeth, this may place additional stress on them and increase the risk of complications over time.

For these reasons, when the adjacent teeth are healthy and suitable for implant treatment, a dental implant would be considered as a more conservative option because it can replace the missing tooth without using the neighbouring teeth as supports.