I own and operate my own dental lab,and yes they will use the adjacent/abutment teeth to make a bridge, and so where the missing tooth is ,it will kind of float on the soft part of the tissue ,so yes there will always be a small gap underneath,and over time the bone will eventually start to go away with age , and the gap will increase.
Implant or "stud " as you called it is a great alternative, because you wont have to use the adjacent/abutment teeth for the bridge, the new crown will attach right to the implant,they work very well, and if you need bone grafts to improve the area around the implant that can be done too.
Cost depends on where you live, here in the west ,Colorado low end 3k high end 5 k per implant,but they actually last and can also be use for future restorations .
Hope this helps