All You Need To Know About: Dental Bridges And Implants!
Which One Is More Efficient: A Dental Implant or a Bridge?
Tooth loss is extremely common. It’s estimated that almost 69 percent of adults 35 to 44 have lost at least one adult tooth. By age 74, about a quarter of Americans lose all of their adult teeth.
When you lose a tooth, it’s essential to get a proper replacement to keep the rest of your teeth aligned. Replacement teeth can also help you maintain your facial shape and avoid difficulties with eating or speaking. Two of the most common options are dental bridges and implants.
Dental Bridges are false teeth held in place by the teeth around your missing tooth. They’re usually made from materials like porcelain or plastic to match your natural tooth color. They can cover one or several missing teeth.
Dental Implants are artificial tooth roots usually made from titanium. They’re mounted into your jawbone with screws to hold a crown or bridge in place.
Let’s compare the pros and cons of dental implants and bridges. We’ll also look at factors that can help you determine which option is better for you.
Dental implants and bridges can both potentially deliver natural-looking results, but they come with their own benefits and drawbacks. Here’s a look at how these two tooth replacement options compare.
Dental bridge pros:
- Likely to be covered by insurance
- Doesn’t require bone grafting or invasive surgery
- Usually lower upfront cost than dental implants
- Usually requires only two visits to your dentist spread over a couple of weeks
Dental bridge cons:
- Has to be replaced about every 5 to 7 years (although it can last more than 10 years)
- Loses a natural-looking appearance with age
- More cavities and tooth decay in surrounding teeth than with implants
- Can damage the healthy teeth around the missing tooth
Dental implant pros:
- Can last around 15 years, and it’s the longest-lasting option on the market
- Retain natural-looking appearance longer than bridges
- Don’t damage the healthy teeth around the implant
- Very high 10-year success rate, around 97 percent
Dental implant cons:
- Less likely to be covered by insurance
- The process can take up to 6 months
- Higher upfront cost
- May lead to surgical complications
Check With Your Dentist!
If you’re missing more than one consecutive teeth, a dental bridge is likely a better option than an implant. A separate implant needs to be surgically attached to your jawbone for each missing tooth, leading to expensive and often impractical surgery.
Dental implants require surgery, so they may not be an option for people with medical conditions that slow down healing, such as diabetes or leukemia.
The best candidates for dental implants are in good overall health and have a jawbone free of decay that’s healthy enough to support the implant.
The entire process of getting a dental implant can take months while a dental bridge can be installed in two trips to your dentist spread over a couple of weeks.
When getting a dental implant, an oral surgeon will drill into your jawbone and attach the root of the implant to the bone. They may insert a temporary denture while you wait for the bone to heal. You’ll then have to wait anywhere 2 to 6 months for the bone to heal before a crown can be added.
