Hi antonina,

A roundhouse bridge generally means that all of the teeth (fake or real) are connected to each other. Your description sounds like you have three separate bridges in your upper arch..... is that correct?

The fact that the one bridge has been loose for a couple of years means that it was either ill fitting right from the start..... or the cement seal did not last very long...... or decay developed on a tooth/teeth underneath the bridge. Whatever the reason, there is a good chance that at this point there is decay and the severity of it can only be deterimined by removing the bridge and evaluating the teeth clinically and radiographically.

The answer to your replacement question is...... it all depends on the health of those teeth underneath the bridge. If they are healthy and the decay can be restored with filling material then a new bridge can be made. If they are not healthy, then you may be given the options of having root canals or extractions. If you opt for root canals then a new bridge will be made similar to what you have now. If you opt for extractions, then it all depends on how many teeth are removed as to whether a new bridge can be made without doing an implant. All bridgework requires anchor teeth. These anchor teeth can be dental implants.

Yes, two implants can support 4 crowns on a bridge.

My thoughts to you are this....... it is imperative to have healthy teeth, bone and gums when talking about bridgework. If the bridge is anchored onto unhealthy teeth, the bridge will fail. If there is gum disease and moderate bone loss, unless the disease is brought under control and the home care is impeccable, the bridge will fail. Root canaled teeth are unhealthy teeth in that they will always carry infectious bacteria in their microscopic canals called the dentin tubules or accessory canals. These teeth always require retreatment or extraction at some point. To anchor a bridge onto root canaled teeth is an issue that will need to be readdressed at sometime in the future. Dental implants placed in a healthy person in healthy bone are meant to last a lifetime if they are maintained daily with proper oral hygiene.

I would suggest that you see what the prosthodontist has to say and pick his brain for options. Make sure you discuss the health of the teeth, the bone and the gums. I am going to give you an experienced inside view to prosthodontics...........this is not meant to demean this specialty just make you aware that very frequently these dentists build their work on unhealthy teeth. Why? Because they tend to see the esthetic portion of their work more so than the stability of it. I know that sounds crazy, but it's unfortunately true. So please keep that in mind and ask him many questions about the health of your mouth before you accept his final treatment plan.

I hope this info was helpful to you. Please let us know if you have any more questions and certainly keep us posted on how things go!

Bryanna