Both dental implants and dental bridges act as “fixed” tooth replacement options for missing teeth. Dentures are the removable replacement option.
There are different types of dental bridges, but in its most simple form a bridge is made up of a false porcelain tooth (pontic) that is held between two porcelain crowns (abutments). The abutments are placed over the existing teeth on either side of the gap in your smile, functioning as anchors for the false tooth.
Rather than relying on the adjacent teeth, dental implants are surgically placed in the bone where the missing tooth used to be. Generally made of titanium, and after a 3-6 month healing period, the implant fuses to the bone (osseointegration) to create a secure base for a false prosthetic porcelain tooth to attach to.