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Dental Implants or Bridge? Consider These Factors

Whether you choose dental implants or a bridge, a missing tooth is not a problem that should go unresolved. It’s important to consider the benefits of each of these tooth replacement options and then decide which one best fits your lifestyle, desired outcome, and budget.

Dental-Implants-or-Dental-Bridge

Read on to discover both the benefits and challenges of dental implants and bridges.

Benefits of Implants:

  • A dental implant involves a titanium post that is surgically placed into the jawbone, replacing the root of the lost tooth. The post becomes a permanent part of the jaw as the tissue heals around it. This process prevents the jaw erosion that could happen if a missing tooth is left unreplaced, or replaced with a bridge.
  • Implants do not involve neighboring teeth and therefore do not negatively impact the health of those teeth. With a bridge, the adjacent teeth must perform the function of having to support the bridge.
  • More than one natural tooth can be replaced with dental implants. Contrastly, a bridge requires healthy adjacent teeth in order to support the bridge itself, limiting the number of teeth that can be replaced in a row. With implants, various combinations are possible, including a whole denture.
  • High quality implants placed by an experienced and well-trained surgeon can last a lifetime with proper oral hygiene. Bridges must typically be replaced every ten to fifteen years.

Benefits of Bridges:

  • Bridges involve a simple, non-surgical dental procedure. Implants require surgical placement.
  • The process of having a bridge done generally happens over two to three weeks and requires two to three trips to the dentist. Implants are a three-step process with lengthy periods of healing time required over the course of several months.
  • A bridge is an effective tooth replacement solution for most people who have healthy adjacent teeth. In order to have a successful implant, candidates must have healthy jaw bone tissue.
  • Bridges are much less expensive than dental implants. With implants, patients not only pay for the surgical step of placing the post, but then have to cover the cost of the abutment procedure, and lastly the costly crown.

There are many factors to consider when deciding the best method by which to replace your missing tooth. How much time do you have to devote to the process? How healthy are your other teeth? What are your budgetary constraints?

The best course of action is to set up a consultation with the professional team of oral surgeons at Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of Utah. Let us share our expert advice with you regarding your options for dental implants or a bridge.

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