Do I need 2 dental bridges or just one huge one on my teeth?

I have 2 maryland bridges on my top teeth (the teeth on either side of my two top front are missing). My dentist wants to put one huge bridge across the front which would cap/replace 6 teeth. Another dentist says two 3 teeth bridges are better and will feel more natural. The teeth that the existing bridges are attached to are not in very good shape and have been ground down pretty severely over the years. One is also chipped and another has been filled. The one 6 tooth bridge will be mostly covered under a dental plan and the two 3 teeth bridges will be roughly twice the cost so I will get half covered.


What to do? What seems the best way to go? Implants are way more money and due to the condition of the existing teeth I would need 6 of them anyway.

Do I need 2 dental bridges or just one huge one on my teeth?
There is a 3rd option...


Since you are replacing the small lateral incisors, there is no need to grind back 4 natural teeth to support 2 fake teeth (making a total of 6 units). This is overkill. I would suggest cantilever bridges will be more than enough.


So, use the teeth that the Marylands have been attached to as the supporting teeth (abutments) for 2 separate 2-unit bridges. This is assuming that the damaged supporting teeth for the Marylands has been the canines.


If the central incisors are the teeth in bad shape, then a single 4-unit bridge using the centrals as the supporting teeth will work just as well. But in this case you would join the centrals.


However, if you really do need to crown the 4 adjacent teeth for strength or beauty, then I would do 2x 3-unit bridges separately, not a single 6-unit.
Reply:seperate ones u dont want to look like a horse.
Reply:one will be better as it may not have a gap in between.
Reply:If your existing teeth are not in great shape, then I would opt for the larger bridge.. I have a bridge that has been replaced a few times and it has caused some wear and tear on my "good" teeth.. Unfortunately I dont have enough bone to qualify for an implant so that's not even an option... You may find that your options are narrowed down as you check into it further..
Reply:if ur getting a 6 unit bridge thn ur gonna hafta extract the front two teeth aka central incisors.that would be alright only if they are in a really bad state.if ur central incisors can be saved wit a root canal treatment then i wud suggest u get that done n go for the two 3 unit bridges.one concern in this case would be ur bite.whn u close ur teeth n bite...do the upper front teeth completely cover the lower front teeth?if so,u have a deep bite n the 3 unit bridge night fail coz there'll be too much force on ur top front teeth.i've been trained to think that saving a tooth would any day be better than extraction.if u save the two front teeth now n get two 3 unit bridge,then at some point in the future whn tht bridge fails u can get a 6 unit one.if u get a 6 unit one now...wht'll u do whn tht has served its time?its hard to advise a patient without seeing the clinical condition and the x rays.get back to me if u have any more queries
Reply:It surprises me that one 6 unit bridge costs less than two 3 unit bridges. Customarily, bridges are charged by the unit so they would be the same price. Unless the dentist would have to place an implant to hold one of the 3 unit bridges(that would double the cost). I think you should investigate further. Big honking bridges are much more difficult to take care of and if by some reason it should break you would have to replace the whole thing instead of just the 3 units. I would greatly prefer 2 3 unit bridges in my mouth.