Until recently, most dentists considered conventional bridges the treatment of choice for replacing missing or lost teeth. However, over the past decade there have been tremendous advancements in dental implant systems allowing more options for dentists.
Sometimes if the adjacent teeth have large restorations (fillings) that must be replaced or if the teeth are severely broken down, a tooth supported bridge may be the best option because those teeth could benefit from the protection of crowns attached to traditional bridges.
Most dentists, however, detest the idea of grinding down perfect teeth in order to place a traditional bridge and will therefore recommend dental implants in these cases.