I am getting an implant to replace two teeth that have had a removable bridge. Do you do anything to the teeth adjacent to the bridge to build them up?

That depends on whether there is a need to strengthen what holds the teeth in place or change the tooth itself. During a proper evaluation we would evaluate for mobility patterns (you may not realize your teeth are starting to loosen), bone support around the remaining teeth,  pathology such as root canal type infections that may show up only on x-rays and make sure that the natural teeth and the implants work together in providing the best possible function. The forces on the “new bite” have to be designed in a very specific way and this could vary depending on the circumstances of the patient.  Where the tooth is positioned in the arch dermines, in part, what role it should play in overall chewing as well as appearance. Sometimes the surrounding teeth do have to be built up in order to achieve this proper bite and also create a more youthful appearance if something called the “vertical dimension” of the face has been changed (iefacial collapse). If all that is nessary is the treatment of gum disease then a simple non-invasive laser option called LANAP® can reverse the damage to the bone that supports the teeth. I hope this helps!