Dental bridges in Ireland

A traditional 3-unit fixed bridge (replacing one missing tooth, anchored on the two teeth either side) costs €1,800 to €3,300 at the clinic — or €1,440 to €2,640 after claiming 20% Form Med 2 tax relief. A minimally invasive Maryland (resin-bonded winged) bridge for a front tooth costs €850 to €1,600 (€680 to €1,280 after 20% relief), and a 4-unit bridge replacing two missing teeth costs €2,400 to €4,400 (€1,920 to €3,520 after 20% relief).

Yes. Revenue's Form Med 2 explicitly lists all bridgework — both enamel-retained (Maryland) bridges and tooth-supported or implant-supported fixed bridges — as qualifying non-routine dental treatment. Your dental clinic signs Form Med 2 when you pay, and you claim 20% back through Revenue myAccount.

A traditional 3-unit bridge (€1,800 to €3,300) shapes the two teeth on either side of the gap for crowns and fuses a false tooth (pontic) between them. A Maryland bridge (€850 to €1,600) uses a thin metal or zirconia 'wing' bonded with high-strength resin to the hidden back surface of an adjacent front tooth — leaving the front of your neighbouring tooth untouched.

Both cost a similar amount for a single missing tooth (€1,800 to €3,300 for a 3-unit bridge vs €2,000 to €2,800 for a single implant and crown). A dental bridge is much faster (finished in 2 to 3 weeks without surgery or bone grafting) and is ideal when the neighbouring teeth already have large fillings or need crowns anyway. A dental implant is usually preferred when the teeth either side of the gap are completely untouched and healthy.

No. The HSE Medical Card (DTSS) covers removable acrylic partial dentures for missing teeth, not fixed bridges or crowns. PRSI Treatment Benefit covers your annual dental exam and €50 towards a scale and polish. Private dental insurance policies with restorative cover often pay 50% to 70% towards a bridge up to an annual cap.

A well-fitted zirconia or porcelain-fused-to-metal fixed bridge typically lasts 10 to 15+ years with daily cleaning under the false tooth (using Superfloss or interdental brushes) and regular dental check-ups.

Never — at the end of your first preparation appointment, your dentist fits a custom tooth-coloured temporary bridge (or you wear your existing clip-in flipper for a Maryland bridge) for the 10 to 14 days while the master technician crafts your permanent bridge.

A temporary bridge or Maryland bridge can be placed on the very same day a tooth is extracted so you never go with a gap. Because the gum bone shrinks and remodels as it heals, the final permanent bridge is normally scanned 8 to 12 weeks after extraction so the pontic sits snug against the healed gumline.

Modern single-wing zirconia and E.max Maryland bridges sandblasted and bonded to enamel with MDP resin cement have a 90%+ 10-year survival rate on front lateral incisors. If a wing ever loosens after a knock, the intact bridge can usually be cleaned and re-bonded in a single 20-minute visit without harming the tooth.

Yes — in fact, if the neighbouring teeth already have heavy fillings or root canal treatment and need protective crowns anyway, a 3-unit fixed bridge is often the smartest clinical and financial choice because it crowns and protects those teeth while replacing the missing tooth at the same time.

Once your bridge is cemented and paid for, the clinic hands you a signed Form Med 2. You simply log into Revenue myAccount -> Manage My Record -> Claim Health Expenses, enter the non-routine dental figure, and Revenue transfers 20% straight to your bank account.

Yes — a 4-unit fixed bridge can span two adjacent missing teeth provided the supporting abutment teeth on either side have strong root surface area and healthy bone support, or two dental implants can support a 3- or 4-unit implant bridge.

On CSO Census 2022 figures, Cork (1,693 residents per dentist) and Dublin (1,715) have the most dentists per head, while Monaghan (8,161 residents per dentist) has the tightest ratio.

General dental practices outside the main cities often sit toward the lower half of our guide (€1,800 to €3,300 for a 3-unit bridge, or €1,440 to €2,640 after 20% Med 2 relief), while specialist prosthodontists in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick sit toward the upper half for complex multi-unit zirconia and implant bridges.

Yes. While the dental laboratory fabricates your permanent zirconia or porcelain bridge (which takes 10 to 14 days), the dentist fits a tooth-coloured acrylic temporary bridge at your preparation appointment so you never walk out with a visible gap. See dental bridge cost in ireland →

If your existing dental bridge comes off in one piece and the supporting teeth underneath are still healthy and free of decay, cleaning and re-cementing the bridge usually costs €90 to €180 in a single short visit. See dental bridge cost in ireland →

Yes. Under Revenue rules, you can claim 20% Health Expenses tax relief on qualifying non-routine dental treatment that you pay for yourself, your spouse/civil partner, your children, or any relative/individual for whom you actually paid the dental clinic bill. See dental bridge tax relief (med 2), medical card and prsi rules →

Med 2 tax relief is a non-refundable tax credit at 20%, so you can only get back up to the amount of income tax you paid in that tax year. If a household partner pays PAYE tax at 20% or 40%, having the taxpayer pay the dental bill and claim it in their myAccount ensures the full 20% refund is received. See dental bridge tax relief (med 2), medical card and prsi rules →

With a Maryland winged bridge, yes — because the adjacent teeth were not drilled down, the wing can be removed later if you ever choose an implant (though a small bone graft may be needed if the ridge has thinned). Once teeth are shaped down for a traditional 3-unit bridge, those teeth will always need crowns. See dental bridge vs dental implant in ireland →

Yes. Both bridgework and dental implants (including any bone grafting and the implant crown) qualify for 20% income tax relief on Revenue's Form Med 2. See dental bridge vs dental implant in ireland →

Dentists strongly avoid joining a rigid implant (which is fused directly to bone) to a natural tooth (which has a flexible periodontal ligament that moves slightly when you bite), as the difference in movement can loosen the natural tooth crown. Bridges are either supported by natural teeth only or by implants only. See implant-supported bridges in ireland →

Yes. Both the surgical placement of the dental implants and the 3-unit bridge restoration on top qualify for 20% non-routine dental tax relief on Form Med 2. See implant-supported bridges in ireland →

On very thin, translucent front teeth, a silver cobalt-chrome wing can sometimes cast a faint greyish shadow. To avoid that, dentists either use an opaque masking resin cement or make the wing from high-strength white zirconia ceramic instead of metal. See maryland bridges in ireland →

Yes. Revenue's Form Med 2 explicitly states 'Bridgework (enamel-retained or tooth-supported)', which covers Maryland resin-bonded bridges in full for 20% tax relief. See maryland bridges in ireland →

Yes. Replacing an older porcelain-fused-to-metal bridge that has developed a visible dark margin at the gumline is one of the most common reasons patients upgrade to an all-ceramic zirconia or E.max bridge. See zirconia & e.max all-ceramic vs pfm dental bridges →

Zirconia is the strongest dental ceramic available for patients who clench or grind. Your dentist will polish the biting surface to a mirror finish so it does not wear the opposing natural teeth, and will recommend a protective nightguard. See zirconia & e.max all-ceramic vs pfm dental bridges →

Our price guide shows typical Irish private dental fee ranges (€1,800 to €3,300 for a 3-unit fixed bridge, €850 to €1,600 for a Maryland winged bridge, €1,300 to €2,400 for a 2-unit cantilever bridge, €2,400 to €4,400 for a 4-unit bridge, and €3,800 to €6,500 for a 3-unit implant-supported bridge), alongside the 20% non-routine dental tax relief available on Revenue's Form Med 2. Your exact fee always comes in writing from the treating dentist after an X-ray. Read more in About Dental Bridges Ireland.

County population and dentist figures are our sums from CSO Census 2022 tables F1003, F1015 and F7042 (2215 Dental practitioners). Read more in About Dental Bridges Ireland.

Email hello@dentalbridge.ie . If you spot a figure that needs updating, let us know and we will check it. Read more in About Dental Bridges Ireland.

Pick the bridge type, where things stand and your county. Your enquiry goes to one Dental Council-registered dental clinic covering your county to arrange an X-ray and written treatment plan. Read more in About Dental Bridges Ireland.