A Dentist’s Client’s Dilemma – Implants Or Bridges?

The moving trend for people is to opt for a tooth implant versus the more commonly known bridge. It has become more popular over the years because tooth implants have become more accessible. Some of the greatest cosmetic dentistry advancements in recent history have come from the field of implants. Implants mimic your natural tooth or veneer, and so brushing and flossing are easy and no different than with your natural teeth. In our industry, we have seen a huge increase of appointments for dental implants instead of bridges.

With dental implants, you can also leave your adjacent teeth alone. With a bridge, you have to reduce your adjacent teeth to make room. Implants also protect the bone underneath, whereas under bridges, your original tooth bones will start to shrink and diminish. The overall bone health is protected with implants.

Dental implants are made from titanium metal. It is placed into a hole that is drilled into your bone where your tooth should be. The bone soon knits to the implant, and then it gets a crown. It feels just like normal tooth as far as your mouth is concerned. It can be the most expensive remedy, but it is also the one that you will probably be most satisfied with.

Again, a bridge is not a bad way to go; for many years it was the standard. It just requires a lot more ‘steps’. You have to mess with your adjacent teeth, and the lasting effectiveness of a bridge is dependent on those teeth staying healthy. If one of your adjacent teeth go bad, it is likely the whole bridge will have to be redone. You are also likely to need a root canal treatment with a bridge. For all this, plus the cost not being much less than an implant, it seems implants are the way to go for most people.

There are some alternate bridge remedies, which are far cheaper, and less intrusive on your adjacent teeth, but the problem is they tend to debone or come undone every few years. Ask your local Dentist.

Choosing an dental implant over a bridge has become the most reliable solution in today’s dental world.

Dr. James Huang