Dental implants require oral surgery and can be quite expensive. Dental bridges are less invasive and can be a more affordable option for many people.
If you're missing more than one consecutive tooth, a dental bridge is likely a better option than an implant. A separate implant needs to be surgically attached to your jawbone for each missing tooth, leading to expensive and often impractical surgery.
On instances where you have two broken down teeth next to the missing tooth, a dental bridge would be preferable to an implant. This is because those teeth need crowns for extra protection. Bridges are more flexible when it comes to controlling the color of more than two teeth for a lesser price.
There are a few pros to opting for a dental bridge. It's a simple procedure in which surgery is not required (unlike implants). This makes getting a bridge a lot less painful than an implant. It's also a relatively quick procedure.
Implants offer more extended protection — a lifetime. Bridges, on the other hand, have a lifespan of around 10 years. Implants also support jaw health. Your bone stays healthy and strong, which impacts both the shape of your face and oral health positively as you age.
Bridges are natural-looking dental appliances that can replace a section of missing teeth. Because they are custom-made, bridges are barely noticeable and can restore the natural contour of teeth as well as the proper bite relationship between upper and lower teeth.
They are easy to care for and can last for 10 years or more with good oral hygiene. Common alternatives to dental bridges include dentures or implants.
The Life Expectancy of Bridges
Some experts say that a dental bridge may last for just 5 – 7 years. However, others offer a different opinion and say that a bridge can easily last for 10 – 15 years. With proper care, it is even possible that a bridge could last a lifetime.
Dental Bridges
Since there's a space underneath the prosthetic tooth, it's easy for food to get trapped under or around a bridge. It's important to get regular checkups to make sure your dental bridge is fitting well. To dislodge food debris, it's helpful to carry interdental brushes and/or floss threaders with you.
When the teeth have shifted. If a tooth has been missing for so long that the neighboring teeth have drifted or tilted into the open space, there may not be enough space for an implant without the help of braces. A bridge can be used to reshape the tilted teeth while also replacing the missing tooth.
Bridges can be used to simply improve appearance, but it can also make it easier for patients to chew food and pronounce words properly. Dental bridges can help maintain the patient's face shape and prevent a sunken-in appearance that can happen if teeth are missing.
The Cost of Implants vs Bridges
And in the case of dental implants vs dental bridges, cost can be deceiving. Dental implantation is one of the more costly dental treatments, ranging from $900 to $3,000 per implant. Alternatively, a dental bridge may cost significantly less, in the range of $700 to $1,500.
It prevents your remaining teeth from shifting which causes problem in your bite. It reduces the risk of bone loss thus maintaining the structures of your face. The bridges are permanently fixed thus preventing it from moving like dentures.
Dental bridges help replace one to four teeth, depending on your needs. However, generally, people replace one or two teeth. However, in rare cases, you can also have four teeth in a dental bridge, especially if you have sufficient healthy teeth present in your mouth to connect with dental crowns.
Sometimes a loose dental bridge can be removed and re-cemented in place if the supporting teeth are still in good condition. In cases where the supporting teeth are grossly decayed over the years, the bridge or crown may need to be replaced.
Dental bridges can cost anywhere from $1,800 to up to $5,000 in Australia. This is because a traditional bridge requires two dental crowns, the pontic (the false tooth), and at least two dental appointments. This cost varies depending on the type of bridge you get, the materials involved, and other factors.
Dental bridges are durable restorations; they typically last for 10 years or longer before replacement becomes necessary. Occasionally, though, a bridge can fall out before its time.
While the complexity of the case is unique to each patient, the answer is almost always yes. As long as there is enough bone remaining to insert a dental implant, it is never too late to reap the benefits of this remarkable restorative solution.
Hard foods require reasonable pressure to crush them, and this pressure can damage or fracture the bridge's structure, and a replacement bridge would be required. So, you should avoid foods like popcorn kernels, chips, raw carrots, and hard candies after a dental bridge to make it lasts longer.
What if you don't get dental implants or replace missing teeth? If you don't replace missing teeth, the bone in your jaw can begin to deteriorate. This might cause your teeth to become loose and eventually fall out. In addition, tooth loss can make it difficult to eat and speak properly.
Bridges are a great option for patients who don't qualify for implants. A bridge is a common dental restoration that can replace one or more missing teeth by literally bridging the gap they left behind. A fixed bridge is permanently cemented in and can only be removed by a dentist.
It is very difficult to find out or tell someone whether they have a dental bridge or real teeth. The only way to tell if someone has a dental bridge is if you tell someone about it. That's one of the best things about a fixed dental bridge, they look natural and they blend right in.
Dental bridges are essentially indistinguishable from natural teeth, and no one will notice that the patients ever had tooth loss occur. Some people have the misconception that a dental bridge may not look like a natural tooth and that the overall quality of the bridge is not the same as with a dental implant.
Unfortunately the gum will not grow down because the bridge teeth are way too bulky and not in proportion with your natural teeth. You need to have a consultation with an experienced cosmetic dentist to have it replaced.