Dental Implants vs. Bridges: What is Best for You?

Regarding missing teeth replacement, you have some choices. Dental bridges and dental implants are two often utilized treatments for missing tooth replacement. The issue is, which choice suits you best?

Dental Implants vs. Bridges: Their Method of Operation

Usually constructed of titanium, a dental implant is essentially an artificial tooth root anchored in place of a lost tooth. During osseointegration, the implant bonds with the jawbone behind a temporary protective cover screw. Although this procedure can take up to six months to finish, it produces a quite durable and sturdy prosthetic. Following successful osseointegration, a temporary crown replaces the protective cover. This acts as a template around which the gum naturally molds and expands. The process finishes when a permanent crown replaces the temporary one.

In some respects less intrusive than a dental implant, a dental bridge is other ways more invasive. Bridges unlike implants do not replace a tooth root. Instead, a bridge attaches a crown that can cover the void left by a missing tooth on one or more nearby teeth, using them as support. Though in some respects more invasive since it requires the permanent modification of surrounding teeth to support the bridge, the treatment process is not nearly as extensive as the implant process, which calls for osseointegration. A dental bridge, as the name suggests, really closes the space between teeth produced by a lost tooth. To function as a support, the restoration must thus be fastened to one or more nearby teeth, first filed down.

Find If You Are A candidate.

To be eligible as a candidate for dental implants or dental bridges, both have specific criteria that must be fulfilled. One finds eligibility during a first therapy consultation.

Dental implantation has to be done once bone development has finished. Bone density and quality will probably be assessed using X-rays or CT scans, which also help ascertain whether a possible implant patient has sufficient bone structure for implantation. Smoking will have to stop if one wants to be qualified as a candidate since smokers have more implant failures. Those with diabetes, cancer, or periodontal disease could also require further procedures to be eligible for implantation.

Given the rather less intrusive character of the bridge operation, dental bridge candidacy is far less limited than dental implant candidacy. The condition and stability of the supporting teeth define bridge candidacy most of the time. Should you have periodontal disease, tooth decay, chips, or cracks, you might have to have more procedures before the teeth are strong enough to support a dental bridge.

The Price of Implants Against Bridges

Usually, the deciding element in choosing a treatment course is finally cost. And in the case of dental implants versus dental bridges, cost can be misleading.

One of the more expensive dental procedures, dental implants run from $900 to $3,000 a piece. On the other hand, in the range of $700 to $1,500, a dental bridge could be far less expensive. Remember that neither does the cost of either include any extra therapies or treatments that might be needed prior.

Given that dental implants are more limited in terms of candidacy, the operation takes noticeably more time to be finished, and they may cost twice as much, you could be wondering why anyone would choose an implant over a bridge. Durability sums up the response.

Usually lasting 10 to 20 years, a dental bridge needs to be updated. An implant kept under adequate care can survive for forty years or more. Therefore, an implant could cost you more time and money in the near future, but over the lifespan of your smile, it could really save both.