Even with the best dental care habits, tooth loss can occur. Genetic conditions, practices like smoking, and even sudden accidents that involve hits to the face can result in a knocked-out molar—and a sudden visit to the dentist to explore teeth replacement options.
Picking out a tooth restoration is never easy. However, during this time, you must carefully assess all your options to find out what works best. To help you, we've created this comparison between dental bridges and implants, two of the most popular single-tooth replacement options!
The Importance of Restoring Missing Teeth Right Away
Losing a natural tooth can be a scary and frustrating experience. Teeth play a big role in your appearance, contributing to your confidence. Moreover, struggling to eat and speak due to missing teeth can easily become a source of distress.
To make matters worse, missing teeth can become the triggering factor leading to a series of dental issues, so dentists recommend filling the gap right away.
When a tooth is missing, the surrounding ones will shift toward the available space, causing dental misalignment. Additionally, tooth loss can cause jawbone density loss, as your tooth roots constantly stimulate the area. When the root is missing, the body progressively breaks down the bone in that area, causing resorption.
To prevent that, replacing your missing teeth right away is key.
What Are Dental Bridges?
A dental bridge is a fixed dental restoration used to replace one or more missing teeth by literally "bridging" the gap created by the missing tooth or teeth by using the adjacent natural teeth for support. They consist of two parts:
- Abutment Teeth: These are the natural teeth (or implants) on either side of the gap, which are crowned to serve as anchors.
- Pontic: The artificial tooth or teeth that replace the missing ones, suspended between the abutments.
Dental bridges restore the ability to chew and speak properly and prevent the remaining teeth from drifting out of position. Moreover, they distribute bite forces properly between surrounding natural teeth.
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental bridges are a type of restoration that aims to imitate the structure of your natural teeth. It works by attaching a biocompatible titanium post into your jawbone, which osseointegrates, serving as an artificial “tooth root.” This provides your dental restoration with the support needed to help you chew, eat, and smile confidently.
Dental implants consist of three main parts:
- Titanium Post: Made of biocompatible materials, this part fuses with the jawbone through a process known as osseointegration, ensuring that the implant fixture becomes a stable and durable anchor for the rest of the dental implant.
- Abutment: The abutment connects the implant fixture to the prosthetic tooth or crown. It protrudes above the gumline and contributes significantly to the overall success and aesthetics of the dental implant.
- Dental Crown: The prosthetic tooth is the visible portion of the dental implant that the world sees when you smile. It is custom-designed to match your natural teeth's color, shape, and size, resulting in a smooth and natural appearance.
1. Procedure
Dental implants require a multi-step surgical procedure. First, the implant is placed in the bone and allowed to integrate (osseointegrate), which may take several months. Following healing, a crown is attached.
Bridges, on the other hand, are not surgical. The dentist files down the neighboring teeth before placing a custom bridge over them, typically taking a few weeks.
For that reason, implants take several months to heal, while bridges are often functional immediately after placement
2. Durability
Implants are renowned for their longevity. With proper care, they can last for 15-25 years or even a lifetime.
Dental bridges typically last 5-15 years before requiring replacement due to wear or damage to the supporting teeth.
3. Aesthetics
Both options have good aesthetics. Implants often appear more natural, particularly at the gum line, because they replicate the tooth's root and crown.
Bridges appear natural, but they may become less realistic over time, particularly if the gums recede.
4. Effect on Adjacent Teeth
One of the most significant advantages of implants is that they do not affect neighboring teeth. Bridges, on the other hand, require that the adjacent teeth be filed down, which can weaken them and increase the risk of future dental problems.
5. Bone Preservation
Dental implants promote jawbone health by stimulating the bone with normal chewing forces, thereby preventing bone loss. Bridges do not stimulate the bone beneath the missing tooth, which may deteriorate over time.
6. Oral Hygiene
Implants can be cleaned like natural teeth are, with regular brushing and flossing.
On the other hand, cleaning underneath a bridge requires extra effort, often necessitating floss threaders or special brushes, which can be inconvenient for some patients.
7. Cost
Implants have a higher initial cost per tooth because they require surgery, advanced materials, and several dental visits. Bridges are typically less expensive to build initially, but they may need to be replaced more frequently, increasing the long-term cost.
Implants vs. Dental Bridges: How to Pick the Right One?
As you can see, both bridges and implants are reliable restorative methods for restoring missing teeth. While treatments like dental implants help preserve jawbone health, bridges are a simpler, surgery-free way to restore your smile.
The state of your jawbone health, your time constraints, and the state of your available healthy teeth will determine the best course of action for you. If you still have doubts, getting a professional’s opinion is key!
Find the Best Teeth Replacement Option for You
Missing teeth are more than an aesthetic concern: they can disrupt the delicate balance of your mouth, affecting your oral health for years to come. For that reason, dentists recommend getting a dental replacement right away. While both bridges and implants are reliable, only implants help prevent the further loss that naturally occurs when teeth are lost.
In the long run, this can lead to skin sagging, an aged look, and further tooth loss. Luckily, you can prevent all of this—and protect your jawbone health—by getting bone-fostering restorations with 3020 Dental Implants. Contact us today to learn more!
