Dental Implants vs Bridge

It’s happened. You’ve lost a tooth or been told you need to have a tooth removed. It’s not going to look good, and it’s going to impact your smile. A gap, right where you should have a tooth.

Ok, so the tooth is gone, and now you want a replacement. You’ve spoken to your dentist about your options, and having a removable chunk of plastic that sits in a glass by your bed at night is out of the question. No one deserves that level of embarrassment. And the final options you have are either a bridge or a dental implant.

Both sound WAY better than a denture, as they are fixed in place and can’t be removed.

If they are both the same result, then sure, the option is easy, and just pick the cheapest.

Hang on, it’s not quite that simple. Allow me to explain the pros and cons of implants vs. bridges.

Dental Implants

Pros:

1. Fixed in place
2. Can chew normally
3. No damage to adjacent teeth
4. Not susceptible to decay
5. Can last a very long time

Cons:

1. Require a highly skilled surgeon.
2. More invasive than a bridge

Dental bridge

Pros:

1. Fixed in place
2. Slightly cheaper than a dental implant

Cons:

1. Significant damage to adjacent teeth
2. Susceptible to decay
3. Poor long-term prognosis
4. When they fail, they turn a 1-tooth problem into a 3-tooth problem.
5. Sometimes you need to limit what you eat (depending on the bridge type).

Very simply, when you have a missing tooth, there is NOTHING as good as a dental implant to replace it (assuming the implant is placed well).

Every single tooth in your mouth (apart from your wisdom teeth) is important. They are important either in terms of function, cosmetics, or both.