Single-wing (cantilever) design
One wing on one neighbour. Counter-intuitively this outperforms two-wing designs, because the two teeth cannot flex independently and pull one side loose.
Restorative dentistry · Wimpole Street, Marylebone
Maryland bridges in Marylebone: replacing a front tooth without drilling the ones beside it
A Maryland bridge, more formally a resin-bonded bridge, is the lightest-touch way to fix a single missing front tooth. Instead of crowning the neighbours, a false tooth is made with a thin metal or zirconia wing that is glued to the back surface of one tooth beside the gap. From the front nothing shows but the new tooth. The bond relies on enamel and adhesive rather than mechanical grip, which is why this design belongs on front teeth with a gentle bite and not on molars. At Wimpole Street a Maryland bridge is priced as a single resin-bonded restoration from £1,030, and it is often our first suggestion when the teeth flanking a gap are healthy and an implant is not yet wanted or possible.
- From £1,030
- 2 visits, little or no drilling
- Long-term: typically 5–15 years
Suitability
Is it right for you?
A good fit when
- A missing upper or lower incisor with a sound, unfilled tooth next to it to carry the wing.
- A light bite in the front of the mouth without deep overlap of the upper teeth over the lower.
- Younger patients whose jaws are still growing and who cannot yet have an implant.
- Anyone wanting to keep the option of an implant later; nothing irreversible is done to the neighbours.
- A long-term temporary while an implant site heals or orthodontic treatment finishes.
- Patients who would prefer not to have surgery at all.
Think twice, or choose another route, when
- Molars and most premolars, where chewing forces are far too high for an adhesive wing.
- A deep bite or heavy edge-to-edge contact that would load the wing every time you close.
- Heavily filled or crowned neighbours, which offer little enamel for the bond; a conventional bridge suits them better.
- Grinders and clenchers, unless a night guard is worn faithfully.
- Gaps of two or more teeth.
- Worn or eroded enamel on the abutment tooth.
The process
How it works at Wimpole Street
- 01
Assessment
We check the bite in the front of the mouth, the condition of the enamel on the intended abutment tooth and the space available. A radiograph confirms the neighbour is sound. If the gap is narrower or wider than the tooth that was lost, a little bonding or contouring may be planned alongside.
- 02
Minimal preparation and scan
Often nothing at all is removed. Where the bite is tight, a shallow groove or a light reshaping of the back surface gives the wing somewhere to sit. A digital scan is taken and the shade matched to the neighbours.
- 03
Laboratory
The technician makes the pontic in ceramic fused to a thin cast metal or zirconia wing, shaped to cover as much of the back of the abutment tooth as the bite allows. Turnaround is around two weeks; a removable temporary can be provided if the gap troubles you.
- 04
Bonding
The abutment enamel is cleaned, etched and primed, the wing is treated to accept the adhesive and the bridge is seated under pressure while the resin sets. Excess is removed, the bite is checked and you leave with the gap closed.
- 05
Review
A check a few weeks later confirms the bond is sound, the gum has settled around the pontic and nothing is catching in the bite.
Choices
Options & materials
Metal wing with ceramic pontic
The most tested version. The metal can grey the abutment tooth slightly from behind on very translucent teeth, which we assess in advance.
All-zirconia design
A tooth-coloured wing that avoids any shine-through. Bond strengths to zirconia are good with modern primers but the record is shorter.
Fees
What it costs
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
Maryland bridge One resin-bonded restoration: the pontic and its wing. Scan, laboratory fee and bonding. | From £1,030 |
Conventional three-unit bridge For comparison where the neighbours already need crowns. | From £2,985 |
Single implant with crown For comparison; requires surgery and several months. | From £2,950 |
New patient examination Introductory rate; the usual fee is £95. | £30 |
Indicative Wimpole Street fees, the same as at South Kensington and St Paul's. A written plan with the exact figure is agreed before anything is started.
Outcomes
What the result looks like
From the front, a Maryland bridge is a single new tooth matched to its neighbours in shade and shape; the wing is only seen if you look at the back of the teeth in a mirror. Speech and confidence return immediately, and because no tooth has been cut down the smile is otherwise unchanged.
Longevity is the honest caveat. Studies of single-wing resin-bonded bridges report survival of around eighty to ninety per cent at five years and a wide spread beyond that, with debonding the main event. Many stay in place for well over a decade; some come away within a few years under an unfavourable bite. When one does debond it can usually be cleaned and re-cemented, and the abutment tooth is left no worse than before.
Afterwards
Looking after the result
- Do not bite directly into hard or crusty food with the bridge; cut it and chew at the side.
- Brush the back of the abutment tooth carefully along the wing margin and floss under the pontic daily.
- Wear your night guard if you clench or grind; overnight loading is the usual cause of debonding.
- Avoid nail-biting, pen-chewing and using the front teeth to open packets.
- If the bridge feels loose or comes away, keep it and ring us; re-bonding is usually straightforward.
- Attend routine examinations so the bond and the gum around the pontic are checked.
Informed consent
Risks and honest limitations
Every treatment has trade-offs. These are the ones we discuss at the consultation so that a decision is made with full information rather than after the fact.
- Debonding. The commonest failure; the bridge simply comes off. It is rarely damaging and can generally be re-bonded, but a bridge that debonds repeatedly needs a different design.
- Shine-through. A metal wing can make a thin, translucent abutment tooth look slightly greyer from the front. Zirconia wings avoid this but have a shorter track record.
- Bone shrinkage under the pontic over the years, which can open a small gap at the gum or change how the pontic sits.
- Not a solution for every gap. A heavy bite or worn enamel makes failure likely, and we will say so rather than fit one that will not stay put.
- Fracture of the ceramic pontic under an unexpected blow or bite.
- Slight bite changes if a groove is prepared, usually imperceptible but occasionally needing adjustment.
FAQ
Questions patients ask
Because the bridge is held by glue on enamel. Front teeth shear food gently; molars grind with many times the force, and no adhesive holds a wing reliably under that load.
Usually none or very little. In a tight bite a shallow rest seat is prepared in the enamel so the wing has room. Nothing that would need a crown later.
Five to fifteen years is the realistic range, with a single-wing design in a light bite towards the top. Debonding can happen at any point and is usually fixable.
The wing sits behind the tooth and is hidden in normal view. On very thin, translucent incisors it can lend a slight grey cast, which is why we sometimes recommend a zirconia wing.
An implant is the longer-term answer for most single gaps and costs roughly £960 more. A Maryland bridge wins where surgery is unwanted, growth is not finished, or you want a fixed tooth now while keeping every option open.
Yes. It is one of the neater temporary solutions during the months between implant placement and the final crown, and far more secure than a removable flipper.
Yes. Scanning and fitting can happen at South Kensington or St Paul’s at the same fee, with follow-up in Marylebone from 1 October 2026.
Keep reading
Related treatments and guides
Marylebone, W1
Maryland bridge at Wimpole Street from 1 October 2026
Register your interest and we will contact you as soon as the Marylebone diary is live. If you would rather start sooner, the same clinicians already see patients in South Kensington and at St Paul’s.
Opening 1 October 2026
Wimpole Street is not yet seeing patients. Until then, please book or call our South Kensington clinic on 020 7183 2362 or our St Paul's clinic on 020 7183 3709. Questions about the new clinic: wimpolestreet@md.co.uk.
Until we open
Need an appointment before 1 October 2026?
The same clinical team already works from two other Medical & Dental clinics. Book at either one now and, if you prefer, move your ongoing care to Wimpole Street once the doors open.
South Kensington
- 20 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3DL
- Open seven days a week
- 020 7183 2362
St Paul's, City of London
- 5 Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7AQ
- Open Monday to Friday
- 020 7183 3709
