Choose An Implant Over A Bridge To Replace A Missing Tooth

When you loose a tooth, your confidence can take a blow and eating your favorite foods can become more dangerous. A winning smile can open doors, but a smile that contains several missing teeth will probably not. If you knock out one of your permanent teeth, you will have to talk to your dentist to get your mouth looking normal again. To replace a tooth, you will have to choose between two procedures: the bridge and the implant.

As long as you can afford both options, the implant is the better choice:

An Analysis of a Dental Bridge

A dental bridge uses a combination of metal and ceramic elements to bridge the gap left behind by one or more missing teeth. In order to connect the metal elements of the bridge to the teeth on either side of the gap, it is necessary to file away part of the tooth enamel on the teeth that will anchor the bridge.

This filing can weaken the tooth and leave it susceptible to damage later on. Despite putting wear and strain on your remaining teeth, bridges can be used to create a natural-looking replacement tooth and are more affordable than implants. 

An Analysis of an Implant

Anchoring a replacement tooth to the remaining teeth in your mouth can unnecessarily strain these teeth. In some cases, your dentist will advise you not to eat corn off the cob or bite into apples. Certain foods like caramels and taffies can also put strain on bridges, and, therefore, should be avoided. An implant consists of a titanium root which is anchored directly to your jawbone, and this root is capped by a ceramic crown.

The titanium anchor makes the implant stronger than a bridge and will give you a strong, natural-looking replacement tooth that does not put strain on your surrounding teeth. On the other hand, receiving a crown takes at least six months and two separate painful procedures. It is also much more expensive to receive an implant. 

When you loose a tooth, you might think that there is nothing that you can do to replace your tooth. Rather than replace your normal smile with a close-lipped smile, you can go talk to your dentist about having your missing tooth replaced. Even though an implant tooth costs more money initially, it can help you to avoid damage to the teeth surrounding your replacement tooth, and can, therefore, help you to save money over the long run. Thus, as long as you can afford an implant, it is definitely the way to go.

To learn more, contact a company like Courtyard Dental Care with any questions you have.