Dental Bridge vs Dental Implants: Which Option is Right for You?
A gorgeous smile builds confidence and gives you that boost you need to step out into the world and turn heads. Losing a tooth due to age, decay or an accident reduces self-confidence and causes severe oral pain. If this happens to you, don’t waste time suffering uncomfortably in silence. With options like a dental bridge or dental implants available, you can receive a natural-looking solution that restores your comfort and reignites your beautiful smile.
What is a Dental Bridge?
A dental bridge is made of either porcelain or porcelain fused to metal crowns. A dental bridge covers the existing anchored teeth or fills up space left by missing teeth. This gives the illusion of having a full mouth of teeth emerging from the gum line. These artificial teeth are also called pontics, which means a fixed dental prosthesis that replaces a natural tooth and restores its function. The pontics are not hollowed out but rather filled in and created to fit the empty spaces of the missing teeth.
A dental bridge fills up the majority of teeth in a dental arch, or as little as one or two missing teeth. Dental bridges are anchored into the mouth by surrounding teeth or anchored onto implants if too many teeth are missing.
Dental bridges are a wonderful option to improve your smile as they’re incredibly lifelike and natural-looking and perform closer to the natural teeth level when compared to full or partial dentures.
What is a Dental Implant?
A dental implant is crafted from a durable titanium screw that imitates the natural root of your tooth. Dental implants look and feel completely natural as if you never lost a tooth in the first place. These implants are best suited for extracted, missing, or terminal teeth. In some cases, dental implants are used for additional retention for a dental bridge to anchor to.
Once the dental implants are placed and fully healed, a customized crown is screwed or cemented to the implant via an adaptor called an abutment. This is done by taking impressions of the implants post healing to capture the exact shape of the implant and the soft tissue around it to create the perfect fit for the dental implant.
Sometimes, with dental implants, you may wait several months for the total completion of your implants. However, some qualifying candidates can receive same-day dental implants. For this procedure, the implant is placed, and a temporary crown is delivered all in one same-day step. This allows for no interruption in the appearance of your smile.
Another wonderful benefit of dental implants is that they protect the integrity of your bite. Whenever you lose a tooth, the teeth surrounding that missing tooth naturally migrate into the space. This movement throws off your bite and leads to headaches and severe pain while chewing. Dental implants are the perfect solution to stop crowding from happening.
Dental Bridge vs Dental Implants: Which Option is Right for You?
When it comes to choosing between dental bridges and dental implants, it all depends on the patient. If your bone structure is strong, dental implants or dental bridges are both viable options. If a dental bridge doesn’t need implants to anchor it down, then the procedure simply uses existing teeth which is ideal for some patients. While dental bridges are a popular choice, if the bridge needs to be anchored to existing teeth, the enamel on the natural teeth needs to be shaved down. Dental implants fit perfectly into the gum and jaw so there is no effect on your surrounding teeth. This makes dental implants minimally invasive to adjacent teeth and a great benefit for many patients.
At Buckhead Cosmetic & Family Dentistry, we can help you determine which procedure is right for you. During your consultation, we’ll examine your mouth and surrounding teeth to better explore the best options. Whether you receive a dental bridge or dental implants, it’s important to improve the health of your teeth not only for your comfort but to give you the confidence in life you desire.
Call us today at 404-400-0400 or reach out to us on our website to set up a consultation. We look forward to helping you restore your beautiful smile!