Dental Bridges And Implants - What To Know

Written By Kassandra Foreman / Reviewed By Ray Spotts

When a tooth is lost due to damage or injury there are a few options to replace it to maintain the look and function of the missing tooth. The most common of these choices is a dental bridge or a dental implant. While they are very different procedures they will both result in having filled the gap they do so very differently.

Dental Bridge

A dental bridge uses a series of dental crowns to bridge over the gap of a missing tooth or missing teeth. They are made from a metal and porcelain or may be all porcelain for stronger teeth and matched to the color of the surrounding teeth. This includes a crown on each tooth on either side of the gap and then as many crowns as it takes to fill the gap. They are attached to each other and built to support the regular use.

These may be temporary or permanent, and made to fit the needs in each case. A main risk with the bridge is that they need to wear down the enamel of the supporting teeth and this may lead to increased wear on the teeth and damage can occur. The bridge may change the needs for regular oral health maintenance and increased attention to oral hygiene to keep the damage to surrounding teeth minimal and to keep the bridge at its best.

Dental Implant

Use of a dental implant is a permanent solution to a missing tooth. This process includes placing a metal post into the bone of the jaw where the tooth is missing and installing a replacement tooth created to look like the teeth around it. This is a permanent solution that will not cause increased damage to the teeth around it, but it may not be an option for everyone.

If there is increased risk of infection, low immune system, or damage to the bones in the jaw then an implant can not be installed. An implant will not require any additional effort to maintain oral hygiene or extra attention to cleaning.

Each of these procedures have the risk of infection due to the work being done in an open mouth and while both can be a permanent solution they may need to be repaired or replaced depending on circumstances. While effort is taken to ensure the color is a close match they will never be exact, and they will not perfectly match the original tooth for color or shape.

Either option can provide a return to use of the teeth for chewing as well as a return of confidence after a missing tooth. Whichever option chosen will be discussed with the dentist and all options should be weighed before making the final decision on which option is right for each situation and patient.

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Written By:

Kassandra Foreman has been writing freelance for five years now and enjoys learning about new things to write about. When not writing she teaches yoga and meditation with a focus on health and fitness.

Reviewed By:    

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.

Photo by Quang Tri NGUYEN on Unsplash