Dental bridge preparation. Close-up of the mouth of a 48-year-old woman, showing custom-made metal posts that will be used to fix a ceramic bridge in place in order to replace decayed teeth. These fixtures have been surgically embedded into holes drilled in the patient's jawbone. Metal parts called abutments will be screwed into the implants and will be used to hold the bridge in place. For a sequence showing the preparations and surgery for this dental bridge, see images C047/4693 to C047/4697.