Hi Robert M,

When you say a 3 part bridge do you mean a 3 unit bridge? If so, why were all 3 implants bridged together and not done as separate crowns?

Ideally the parts should mate "perfectly". But in a lot of cases it doesn't work out that way. First of all it is not ideal to mix parts from one implant system with another. However it can be done and sometimes has to be done in certain circumstances where someone comes in with an old implant and needs a new crown and the parts are no longer available. Something that occurs quite frequently (but is rarely if ever mentioned to the patient) is the angulation of the dental implant. It may be a bit skewed meaning the implant itself may be crooked or too close to an adjacent tooth or other implant which makes getting the prosthetic pieces and crown portion a bit difficult to fit properly. This situation can be caused by carelessness on the surgeons part or sometimes it cannot be avoided due to the patient's anatomical structure as the implant needs to be anchored in healthy, adequate bone.

By any chance did the dentist cement this on with temporary cement? That too is commonly done and then after a few weeks the crowns or bridge is removed and cemented on with permanent cement.

Bryanna