Dental ImplantsAt some point in our lives, we have had incidences of losing a tooth. Losing a tooth is not limited to kids alone; adults sometimes lose a tooth as a result of injury, accident or poor hygiene. Losing a tooth is quite embarrassing and the patient is left with no other option than to seek ways to replace the missing tooth.

The dental industry has greatly evolved and now, you shouldn’t feel bad losing your tooth because we now have lots of options for tooth replacement. We have two tooth replacement options, and these are called dental implants and dental bridges.

Most often, patients are at crossroads on selecting between dental implants and dental bridges. Both are quite good for tooth replacement but it will be better if you understand their components and how dental implants and dental bridges function as tooth replacement options.

Dental Implant

Dental implants involve anchoring an artificial tooth into the jaw and placing a crown over the implant. Dental implants function like a tooth root and are used for supporting the crown.

Dental implants are composed of biomaterials which are surgically placed in the jawbone below the gumline. It takes about 2 months for the implant to have a firm root after which the implant crown or replacement tooth is placed over it. While you might need dental implants for your tooth replacement, it also functions well in jaw rebuilding and denture stabilization.

The Dental Implant Process

The first step is consulting a dentist. The dentist determines the depth of your lost tooth to aid him to make an accurate decision on the implant inch to use.

After this, the selected implant is attached to the jawbone through a surgical procedure. After the implant is placed into the jawbone it can take a period of about 2 months for it to stabilize in the jawbone.

The third step is the attachment of the abutment to the implant, which holds the crown in position.

The last step is placing the crown onto the implant.

Benefits of Dental Implant

Dental Implants afford you the best in terms of having your lost tooth back.

  • Improved Comfort: You will not be faced with the problem of removable dentures. Dental Implants are there to function like your natural teeth so your comfort is assured.
  • Oral health improvement: Your remaining teeth will not shift into the empty space of the missing tooth and allow you to properly brush and floss all your teeth.
  • Convenience: The embarrassing moments that come with removable dentures, especially in public places, have been solved by dental implants. Dental implants act like a natural tooth.
  • Durability: As long as you are properly brushing, flossing, and keeping your regular dental exams, your dental implant can last a lifetime.

Cons of Dental Implant

Though it has enormous benefits, dental implants have some drawbacks. One is the cost. Dental implants tend to be a more expensive tooth replacement option. You also have to have healthy bone in your jaw to hold the new implant.

Dental Bridge

We’ll now look at the next tooth replacement option; dental bridge. Dental bridges are directly opposite to implants and are often regarded as being less efficient than the former.

Dental bridges are a fabricated tooth which is attached to two crowns on either side of the missing tooth. The reason for this is to enable the crowns to serve as natural tooth anchors and help in bringing the tooth replacement into position.

Benefits of Dental Bridges

A dental bridge has immense contributions it offers you in the tooth replacement process. We shall look at some of them below:

  • Smile Restoration: When you lose a tooth, you’ll definitely take precautions not to smile publicly. Dental bridges offer you the opportunity to have your smile back quickly and affordably.
  • Eating Well: With dental bridges, you will be able to eat without any restrictions on your diet as long as you are brushing and flossing regularly.
  • Smile Alignment: Dental bridges also keeps your remaining tooth in place and prevents them from drifting out of their initial position which is likely to cause another tooth loss.
  • Faster Restoration: The process of getting a dental bridge is faster than getting a dental implant.

Cons of Dental Bridges

A drawback to dental bridges is that they don’t last as long as dental implants. Also, the teeth that are used to anchor the bridge can be prone to tooth decay if not cleaned properly regularly.