Full-Arch Bridge Options
Implants provide the foundation, but the bridge is what people see and what you chew with. Here's how our two bridges compare, which pathways bring each one, and how Dr Kalsi helps you choose.
Which Bridge Material Works Best on Full-Arch Implants?
No one material wins for everybody; the right choice depends on your budget, your bite and how long you'd like the teeth to go before they need work. In Lanark the bridge follows your pathway. Acrylic / PMMA, the lightest and least expensive and easy to repair, finishes Healed Foundation (from £9,300 per arch), Staged Treatment and Same-Day Fixed Teeth. The strongest option, with the most natural look, pairs zirconia teeth with a titanium bar; you get it on Premium Guided Zirconia at £14,950, or as a £2,500 upgrade on Healed Foundation.
What Doesn't Change
Whichever bridge you end up with, the implants beneath it are the same MegaGen AnyRidge design, planned on your CT scan. What settles the bridge is your pathway. Healed Foundation, Staged Treatment and Same-Day Fixed Teeth finish in acrylic / PMMA; Premium Guided Zirconia finishes in zirconia on a titanium bar; and Healed Foundation can be upgraded to that zirconia. Whichever it is, we take a digital scan for it after roughly three months, when the implants have healed.
Nor are you choosing for life: over the years, the implants can support more than one bridge.
PMMA Acrylic: Light and Easy to Mend
Acrylic teeth of the kind used in dentures are fixed into a pink acrylic gum, and a strengthening metal framework runs through the centre to keep it rigid. It's the lightest option, and if a tooth chips it can often be repaired while you wait.
The downside is wear. Acrylic is softer than enamel, so the biting edges gradually flatten, tea and red wine can mark it, and most acrylic bridges need new teeth at some stage. It's the bridge on Healed Foundation, from £9,300 per arch, as well as on Staged and Same-Day, and a practical first bridge for many patients.
Feel the Materials Before Deciding
At a free consultation in Lanark, Dr Kalsi will let you handle both.
Zirconia: Tough and Stain-Resistant
Zirconia is a ceramic strong enough to be used in artificial hips. It's coloured and glazed so the teeth have a degree of translucency and the gum area looks pink. Coffee doesn't stain it, and it hardly wears.
It weighs more than acrylic and is very stiff, and in the uncommon event of a fracture it can't be repaired in the mouth. We don't offer a full-arch bridge milled from one solid block of zirconia as a package of its own; at Lanark, zirconia teeth come on a titanium bar, described next.
Zirconia on a Titanium Bar: A Strong Core
With this option, a titanium framework is computer-milled to fit your implants precisely, without stress, and zirconia teeth are bonded on top. The metal core provides the strength, which is useful for longer bridges and for people who bite hard. The zirconia gives the most lifelike appearance of the three.
If one section is damaged, it can often be replaced without remaking the entire bridge. Premium Guided Zirconia includes it as standard (£14,950 an arch); with Healed Foundation it's a £2,500 upgrade per arch.
The Two Compared
| Feature | Acrylic / PMMA | Zirconia on titanium |
|---|---|---|
| Which pathways | Healed Foundation, Staged, Same-Day | Premium Guided Zirconia, or +£2,500 on Healed Foundation |
| Fee per arch | Set by pathway: £9,300, £11,500 or £13,500 | £14,950, Premium pathway |
| With time | Biting edges wear | Hardly alters |
| Tea, coffee, red wine | May stain | Rarely stains |
| Chipped tooth | Often repaired the same day | Individual sections replaced |
| Commonly suits | First bridges, tighter budgets | Strong bites, longer spans, minimal upkeep |
Both are screwed into place.
How We Help You Choose
In practice the choice is between an acrylic pathway, Healed Foundation with the zirconia upgrade, or Premium Guided Zirconia. Before recommending one, Dr Kalsi will talk through a few points with you:
- The opposing teeth. Biting against natural teeth, a denture or a second implant bridge puts different stresses on the bridge.
- Clenching or grinding. A forceful bite is tough on acrylic and tips the balance towards the titanium bar. A night guard protects every option.
- Cost now and in future. Acrylic is cheaper at the outset; zirconia generally costs less to maintain over time.
- Appearance. If the most natural finish is your priority, zirconia on titanium comes out ahead.
Your written plan names your pathway, its bridge and the fee before treatment begins. 1
Looking After Any of Them
Use a water flosser beneath the bridge daily, attend a hygiene visit every three months, and wear a night guard if you grind your teeth. There's more detail in our guide to day-to-day life with a full arch, and our All-on-4 explainer covers the implants underneath.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.