Eventually, all dental work fails. Several studies have concluded that the average lifespan of a crown or bridge is between 9 and 10 years. This is a relatively short period of time considering the cost of most dental procedures. Now, remember, this statistic includes all the very bad dental work combined with low quality laboratory support which brings the average lifespan down, considerably. Nonetheless, the bridge in the patient's lower left (right side of x-ray) has problems with both molars. In this case, the teeth have infections (periapical lesions or abscesses). The treatment plan is to take out all three teeth and place dental implants to result in dental implant bridge.
